Sandy City Journal | April 2024

Anew

NEW SANDY HOMELESS SHELTER CATERS TO THE NEEDS OF THE MEDICALLY VULNERABLE

By Rebecca Olds | r.olds@thecityjournals.com

aid

Its goal is to provide interim housing not just for those experiencing homelessness, but for medically vulnerable people such as veterans, those aged 62 and above, and those experiencing health challenges while living on the streets.

“I call it ‘Most Valuable People,’” said Pamela Atkinson, longtime advocate for those experiencing homelessness and namesake of Utah’s Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund referring to the MVP initials that stand for “Medically Vulnerable People.”

“To have a special place where you've got challenges like they have, I think it makes a huge difference,” she said. “It says we recognize you have extra challenges, we recognize you need different facilities and different accommodations, we care about you, and (you’re) just as valuable as anybody else.”

“Once people start feeling special, then I think that gives them hope.”

Three organizations—The Road Home, Fourth Street Clinic and Shelter the Homeless—have tag-teamed efforts to maintain the building, staff volunteers and security, and provide medical care to guests.

The first of its kind in Utah

A general homeless shelter includes bunk beds that leaves very little space for maneuverability when wheel-

Sandy Arts

Mont Millerberg

Sandy homeless facility opened in January with a unique mission among Utah’s homelessness

scene.

Sandy Arts Guild's 'Mean Girls Jr.' production emphasized kindness and inclusivity

By Megan McKellar | m.mckellar@mycityjournals.com

As a three-time winner of the Best of State Award and one of Utah's largest arts guilds, the Sandy Arts Guild stages a youth musical every spring. This year, the youth musical was “Mean Girls Jr.” and ran March 20-23 at the Theater at Mount Jordan.

The selections committee initially considered “Mean Girls Jr.” because “it was a very successful Broadway production and we knew it would be a popular show for teens to want to participate in,” said Briana Chipman, director of “Mean Girls Jr.” and guild board member. “After reading the script and previewing it for content, we chose the show because of its relevance— the issues that our main character experiences are the exact same issues that our kids are facing in the halls of their schools today. We may not have a group of ‘plastics’ but everyone has had to navigate a social hierarchy and find their place in school and the world.”

The Sandy Arts Guild had a tradition of choosing a theme for each youth production that focuses on emotional intelligence or supporting their lives outside of the show. The cast then makes a craft related to the theme, and is sometimes used as a prop or set decoration. The theme for this show was “We’re all stars.”

“We wanted the craft to be something that was relevant to the show and useful for the kids in their real lives,” Chipman said. “Prop designer Brinda Slaughter came up with the idea to turn the Burn Book from the show in a positive direction to a Build Book.”

During rehearsals, the cast members created “Build Books” books for cast members to write positive things about each other and their favorite moments. The cast members also used the books to write down thoughts and experiences during the rehears-

al process.

According to Eric Richards, music director, this show is much more relatable than other youth musicals in the past.

“For Disney shows or shows that may not take place in a world like ours, it requires a bit of acceptance of the theatre magic. You have to search for your own message in the story. But with ‘Mean Girls’ it is literally taking place in a school, much like our schools right now. This is exactly what our kids are dealing with and it’s so easy to find your message of love and acceptance to apply to your life right now.”

Coming up next on the art guild’s calendar is a Plein Air Paint Out Competition for visual artists (May 31-June 1), a youth showcase summer camp program (June 3-21), a Plein Air Quick Draw Competition (June 29). The next large theatrical production will be “Mamma Mia!” in the summer, followed by “Little Women” in October.

“The Sandy Arts Guild is committed to providing arts experiences to all, regardless of background, providing multiple free events each year and free tickets to underserved populations,” said Elyse George, a Sandy City marketing and development specialist. “We produce affordable and high quality entertainment in our theatrical productions—many patrons are shocked at the caliber of talent in our shows and liken us to professional theaters in the area.”

Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski called community arts “an important part of the cultural fabric of our city. Community arts are a major part of what breathes life into our city, creating opportunities to make memories and strong personal and cultural connections.” l

The Sandy Arts Guild stages a youth musical every spring. This year was “Mean Girls Jr.” and ran March 20-23 at the Theater at Mount Jordan. (Ken Filmore Photography)

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

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grayson Argyle likes being a LSA student.

“I come to Life Skills Academy to learn life skills and learn how to become

an adult, do some math and money management,” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

community.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Celebrating a lifelong commitment: Tributes to Canyons School Board VP

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

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

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

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

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

Millerberg died unexpectedly Feb. 23 following complications from a stroke. He was the Canyons Board of Education vice president, having been elected to the inaugural Canyons School Board in 2008, then re-elected in

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

2016 and 2020. He served District 1, which included most Midvale schools and Union Middle in Sandy.

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

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

Baker said he had a built-in resource that helped him guide his decisions on what was best for children.

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

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

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

planes on school grounds.

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

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

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

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

“I have always felt that he has a special place in his heart for our school,” said Stac-

ey Timmerman, Hillcrest school community council chair. “He had a special loyalty to Hillcrest. He was a great listener and would come to the SCC meetings and want to know our perspective, our needs on Hillcrest. He was a huge advocate for Hillcrest, and I’d always see him at Hillcrest events—a lot of sporting events and almost every theater performance.”

Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt agrees.

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

During Millerberg’s time on the board, Canyons invested $270 million, or roughly 35%, of its bond money on improvements for Midvale-area schools.

“He was passionate about making sure the schools in the community were rebuilt. He came to every planning meeting for this school

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

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

Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg made a promise to the Midvale community that Midvale Elementary would be rebuilt when the district was formed; he kept that promise as he cuts the ribbon in 2012 with students. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

and was gracious asking our opinion and making sure the teachers got what they wanted. It was important to him to make sure we had a say in what we’d like and need and made sure the District knew,” Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt said.

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

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

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

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

Millerberg was instrumental in establishing the Canyons Education Foundation.

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

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

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

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

Millerberg was known to be a straight talker.

Jordan Board of Education President Tracy Miller, who served on the Utah School Boards Association Board of Directors with him, said, “Mont was a fierce advocate for kids

and our public schools. In tough discussions, he wasn’t afraid to speak up and say what needed to be said.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Millerberg was often in the schools. His

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

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

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

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

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

Millerberg wasn’t one who wanted the limelight, McCarty said.

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

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

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

Miller said Millerberg “was generous,

personable and fun to be around. His impact was felt large and wide.”

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

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

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

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

He spoke to Hillcrest Class of 2023 at their graduation, even quipping they were most excited for him since he was the last speaker. He bid them simple, but meaningful advice: “Whatever you choose to do, do it well. Be good at what you do. Work hard, work smart and be diligent in what you do. Seek adventure, go do something fun, laugh. Keep moving, figure out where you are, where you want to be and where you want to go next.”

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

Canyons Board of Education member Mont Millerberg speaks at Hillcrest High’s 2019 graduation. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Welcoming the state champion Hillcrest theater team back home, Canyons Board of Education Vice President Mont Millerberg was a regular patron of the performing arts. (Susan Edwards/Canyons School District)

BOOK SIGNING WITH AUTHOR

DAVIS

building. The pool was filled in to be used as a group activity space and several safety features such as the sprinklers, fire hydrant, and windows were updated to comply with the building’s new safety requirements.

Eventually, the building will include an on-site clinic. But for now, the large Fourth Street Clinic bus sitting in the parking lot takes care of any medical needs.

Close to a month after opening, the center has filled more than a third of its capacity of 165 people and is anticipated to

At the shelter’s opening event on Feb. 29, Gov. Spencer Cox called homelessness

“In 2023, approximately 30,000 Utahns accessed services from homeless systems throughout the state,” the gover-

The Road Home has sponsored shelters for those experiencing homelessness in Midvale, South Salt Lake and Salt Lake City for years. But more recently, the need for more space has become desperate as rates of homelessness rise across the state

With Utah as a real estate hotspot, rents and prices are rising and displacing people making a bigger need for affordable

State legislation is working to increase the amount of starter homes to 35,000 in five years to provide more affordable housing per Cox’s briefing after this year’s leg-

But as Flynn put it, “housing is a slow

Since before the beginning of the year, The Road Home’s Midvale Family Resource Center has been particularly hard as it struggles with an influx of people needing shelter—not all of whom are Utahns.

in through the migrant route, and that’s another piece adding to our challenge of not having enough space,” Flynn said. “Because there isn’t a facility or a program right now for migrant families that’s sepa rate and they are showing up in our home less services system.”

there’s an added difficulty of communica tion and paperwork that the shelter is not equipped to handle.

people needing shelter, Utah is the state with the lowest rate of homelessness west of the Rockies, reported Axios.

Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski and Laurie Hopkins, executive director of Shelter the Homeless, present the new MVP Program building during a ribbon cutting ceremony in early 2024. (Photo courtesy of Sandy City)

The Road Home Executive Director Michelle Flynn explains that the new facility “provides a place for older adults and those with medically vulnerable conditions [where they] can stay in a shared room, safely, off the streets and out of a large congregate setting.” (Photo courtesy of State of Utah Department of Workforce Services)

Putting books in the hands of kids to increase literacy is goal of Sandy Elementary

Sitting on the steps in the multipurpose room was a first grader and her grandmother. They were among others who had gathered there to stop and read together during Sandy Elementary’s literacy night.

Kenzley Morrison likes adventure books.

Grandma Donna Fralick liked the adventure in and of itself.

“I appreciate that they get to explore books that they normally wouldn’t read,” she said.

Kenzley’s older sister, fifth-grader Kelsey Morrison, had just returned with her friend, Maeli Ferguson, from one of the dozen stations around the gym that promoted literacy.

“We’re trying to win free books at Books 4 Bingo,” she said.

She was hoping for some from the Harry Potter, Dork Diaries or Percy Jackson series.

Maeli already won a free book and picked out a scary one.

Sandy Elementary Community Schools Facilitator Isa Connelly had researched the games.

“I looked for ones that would be fun and that kindergarteners could do, but also that fifth graders would find interesting,” she said, adding that the activities were designed to help students focus on their literacy depth of knowledge. “Basically, depth of knowledge

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

or DOK 1 and 2 are basic skills of being able to retell a story and making sense of it. DOK 3 and 4 involve critical thinking and trying to solve problems. We want students to be able to identify the main thing in a story, but also go deeper and think what they would do in a situation or find a solution to a problem.”

It’s a strategy school staff is implementing to become an AVID school, which is a long-term goal to better help students, Connelly said.

AVID teaches kids how to thrive in school, providing them with the tools they need to accomplish their academic goals. Those may include skills in critical thinking, writing, reading, and collaboration while also building practices to improve their organizational, time management, and problem-solving abilities.

Another goal was to get books in the hands of students to build libraries of their own at home. The books that were given out were donated through United Way.

“Every year they give us about $2,000 to help us with whatever we need. We opted to buy $2,000 worth of brand-new books to give out books as prizes at the station games,” she said.

Students played games such as Roll and Tell, Bingo 4 Books, alphabet ping pong, word

art, Boggle, and a literacy variation of HedBanz, where students wore headbands with a word on it and they would have to guess what it was after a friend described the word.

“We also had a huge number of books that we use for level reading in years past so we just gave them out,” Connelly said, adding that in the school’s lobby, there is a free library where “kids can take books anytime they want.”

In addition, students who need assistance in reading, get free books weekly. When parents sign that they’ve read those, they may get a candy or pencil and more books. It’s a program that has been in place at the school for three years.

“Our students are very motivated, and they love it. We’re all about helping them read more, improve their reading and building libraries at their homes,” she said. “We know that from grade K to third, students are learning to read. From four on, they’re reading to learn. So, if they don’t have the skill of reading, by third grade, they will fall behind. We’re wanting them to know that reading is fun, which is one of the reasons why we do this community reading night, but also to teach parents about opportunities, like at the Sandy Library they can get library cards and

go to some really cool programs.”

Fifth-grader Jordan Lancaster said there were some “cool and fun games” at Sandy Elementary’s literacy night.

“It’s a way to have fun and do things with different words in different ways,” she said, adding that she likes mystery and fantasy books best. “Everything I’ve done has been fun.” l

Sandy

Elementary second-grader Kenzley Morrison and her grandmother, Donna Fralick, take a moment from the school literacy night to read a book together. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hello Sandy Friends,

Have you ever seen the Bradford pear trees in bloom each springtime at city hall? It’s a magni cent site! In fact, when I look out my o ce windows, it reminds me of the children’s tune about popcorn popping on the apricot tree. ere are armfuls of blossoms around us. It’s just one thing I love about springtime in Sandy.

Earth Day Celebration

Spring brings rejuvenation and new life which makes it a perfect time to celebrate Earth Day. is year in conjunction with Earth Day, we’ll mark the o cial opening of a spot near and dear to my heart in Dimple Dell Park.

e Wrangler Trailhead just south of Smith's on 1300 East has been closed for many months for major renovations. On April 27th at 8:30 am Salt Lake County Parks will host a ribbon cutting to o cially open the new picnic area, improved parking lot, and new year-round restrooms. e Dimple Dell Preservation Community launches its Earth Day celebrations and park cleanup with a scavenger hunt for people to learn about unique features of the park, and there will be volunteer opportunities for invasive weed cleanup, and tree planting. Mark your calendar. “Many hands make light work,” my mother always said. Both Earth Day and Sandy’s Beauti cation Day on May 18th are two fun ways to make a di erence. Volunteer groups are selecting their assignments for Sandy Beauti cation Day now. Learn more here: sandy.utah.gov/887/Beautification-Day

Bulk Waste Collection

Spring curbside bulk waste collection is underway in Sandy. Twice a year, residents can remove the debris from

their yards and homes, place it streetside, and have it removed by our public works team. is is a service that very few other Utah communities o er and a convenience that we’d like to continue long-term. is is the most popular and valued city service according to every resident surveyed. I’m proud that my administration has ensured it will continue with establishing new rules and enforcement protocols. It’s imperative to make sure you follow the guidelines. Keep your debris in piles no longer than 20 feet, 6 feet wide, and 4 feet tall and keep them at least two feet away from the gutter. is keeps the piles manageable and keeps contaminants out of our storm drain system, thereby keeping the water clean. Gone are the days of “anything goes” and sky-high piles. Don’t get stuck. Know the rules in advance.

Sandy Water

is time last spring, we were heavily focused on the mountains and stream beds with the potential risk of ooding from spring runo after a record snowfall. is year we are watching snow melt closely, but there is another big water related issue that we face.

e majority of our water in Sandy comes from Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is puri ed and piped through an extensive infrastructure of water lines through our neighborhoods. We must keep that water infrastructure healthy and well-maintained to extend its life. at requires ongoing, incremental investments in pipe upgrades.

Just over two months ago, we saw the problem that can result when a water line breaks. A 25-foot sinkhole swallowed a resident’s front yard and a part of a city sidewalk while water and mud poured into a neighboring basement near Dimple Dell Rec Center. It was so big it made the news! A broken line can cause huge property damage and cut the water source to residents while those pipes are xed.

As a mature city, we are wise to fund ongoing replacements of old lines so we can prevent scenarios like this along with the increased costs to taxpayers. at’s why it’s necessary to keep our water rates on a scale that will cover infrastructure maintenance and replacement and not just water consumption. In May you will see a modest increase to your water rates of (an average of $4 a month)

to meet our responsible maintenance needs. Still, water rates in Sandy City are among the lowest in the Salt Lake Valley. Replacing the right pipes at the right time helps avoid massive costs down the road.

Proposed Budget

I am about to present my proposed budget for the upcoming scal year. My commitment to you is to keep services high and taxes low. As you may be aware, property taxes in Sandy, like water rates, are among the lowest of all municipalities in the Salt Lake Valley. I will not seek a property tax increase and we will govern within our means is year we will explore new funding sources for city services. I am also working closely with my team to determine a workable plan for Alta Canyon Sports Center to provide recreational opportunities that you, our residents, want. We are also nalizing our city’s long-term master plan which will be the culmination of open houses and information gathering with residents for more than a year. e master plan will properly manage growth, nd new opportunities for housing at all levels, and enhance economic development in Sandy. Another way we can all make sure we keep services high and taxes low is by shopping at Sandy businesses, keeping our sales tax revenues local. As I mentioned last month in this newsletter, each dollar you spend at a Sandy business for a soda or a gallon of gas means a portion of it will go to fund public safety or road repairs. Remember #SandyBusinessFirst.

As each tulip reaches to the sun and every blossom opens on our trees, let’s embrace rejuvenation and new beginnings. I encourage everyone to participate in the seasonal programs our city o ers and join the discussions about our budget process, city development, and Sandy’s long-term plan. We’re working together for a vibrant community, one that will grow and develop as a healthy, eclectic urban center for generations to come. Let’s all “spring” into community participation!

Yours in Service, Mayor Monica Zoltanski

Photo contest winner: Tony Huffaker

Tribal West Lacrosse opened in 2002 when the owner realized there wasn’t a local source for quality lacrosse equipment. Now in its 22nd year of operation, it is playerowned and operated, o ering a wide range of services including gear sales, stick stringing, and gear rental. e store's popular services and commitment to fostering the lacrosse community have made it a hub for players and enthusiasts alike, with its renowned "Great Ball Machine" attracting visitors from far and wide. For more information, visit: tribalwest.com

The 2024 Statewide Utah ShakeOut

e 2024 statewide Utah ShakeOut is on April 18, 2024, when Utahns will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home, practicing earthquake safety and other aspects of their emergency plans.

In most situations, if you feel shaking or get an earthquake alert, immediately:

DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. is position protects you from being knocked down and reduces your chances of being hit by falling or ying objects.

COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand.

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter.

• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall.

• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.

HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

• Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts.

• No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

What NOT to do:

DO NOT get in a doorway! An early earthquake photo is a collapsed adobe home with the door frame as the only standing part. From this came our belief that a doorway is the safest place to be during an earthquake. In modern houses and buildings, doorways are not safer, and they do not protect you from ying or falling objects. Get under a table instead!

DO NOT run outside! Trying to run in an earthquake is dangerous, as the ground is moving and you can easily fall or be injured by debris or glass. Running outside is especially dangerous, as glass, bricks, or other building components may be falling. You are much safer to stay inside and get under a table.

Source and for more information: www.shakeout.org/utah/dropcoverholdon/

What Causes a Pothole?

is winter has been very hard on our roads. As you drive around, there seems to be potholes developing on every street. is begs the question, what causes a pothole? Potholes are created when the top layer of pavement and the material beneath – called the base or sub-base – cannot support the weight of the tra c. Two factors are always present in such a failure: TRAFFIC and WATER.

e development of a pothole includes:

1. Snowmelt or rain seeps through cracks in the pavement and into the sub-base; if the moisture cannot adequately drain away from the sub-base and soil underneath, it becomes saturated and soft.

2. Trapped moisture is subjected to repeated freeze/thaw cycles – and with each occurrence, the expanding ice lifts and cracks the pavement more. e passing tra c weakens the pavement, cracking it further.

3. As temperatures rise and the ice melts, a void is left under the pavement. is void collects more water, and during the next freeze, the void will enlarge.

4. Vehicles driving over the weakened pavement pound it until the surface breaks and collapses into the void below, thus creating a pothole.

If you see a pothole, please contact the Public Works Department at (801)568-2999 or send an email to pw@sandy.utah.gov. You can also quickly report it with your Sandy City CityServe app. If you haven’t set up your account, download the app and stay connected to Sandy City.

• Spring Bulk Waste started on March 11 and will be completed by June 6.

• Please don't put your waste out until 72-hours prior to your scheduled collection date.

• e pile size is limited to 20 ft. x 6 ft x 4 ft. Only one pile per house.

• Piles should be 2 ft. out from edge of gutter and 3 ft. away from any storm drain. Please do not block driveways.

• Go to sandy.utah.gov/bulkwaste for complete list of accepted items you can and cannot place in your bulk waste pile.

**REMEMBER** Keep your bulk waste out of the gutter!

9565 S. Highland Drive, Sandy, Utah 84092

NOW HIRING

We're looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team and help us provide exciting and engaging activities for our patrons. We're looking for lifeguards, youth camp counselors, snack bar attendants, and so much more. Apply online today or scan QR code to view all available jobs.

LIFEGUARD INSTRUCTOR TRAINING OR LIFEGUARD TRAINING OR RECERTIFICATION

Certi cation Classes

Begin April 22

Our comprehensive lifeguard training program is designed to equip individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to become certi ed lifeguards or instructors. Join one of our classes and start making a di erence in your community right away.

Registration is open, just scan the Activity Registration QR code below or visit our website for dates and times.

WATER SAFETY INSTRUCTOR (Swim Lesson Instructor)

Certi cation Classes

Begin April 22

If you're passionate about swimming and helping others learn this essential life skill, then join this class. Together, we can empower individuals to become con dent and pro cient swimmers, ensuring a safer and more enjoyable experience in and around the water.

Registration is open, just scan the Activity Registration QR code below or visit our website for dates and times.

PLAY & LEARN SUMMER CAMP- AGES 3-5 YRS

Our little explorers embark on exciting adventures, make new friends, and discover the wonders of the world around them. Our camp is designed speci cally for preschool-aged children, providing a safe, nurturing environment lled with fun activities and enriching experiences. Registration is open, just scan the Activity Registration QR code below or visit our website for dates and times.

SUMMER PARTY RESERVATIONS

Starting on April 1, all pavilions, sand volleyball pits, and pool parties are open and available to reserve. Our sand volleyball and outdoor pavilion is the perfect place to host a BBQ and get your game faces on. We invite all church groups, club teams and volleyball enthusiasts to reserve our sand volleyball pit for your next gathering and make memories for a lifetime.

ADULT TENNIS LEAGUE

Welcome to our Social Tennis League, where players of all skill levels come together to enjoy friendly competition, improve their game, and connect with fellow tennis players. Leagues for Women, Men and Co-ed will be hosted all summer long.

Registration is open! Scan the Activity Registration QR code below or visit our website for dates and times.

River Oaks Golf Course

9300 S. Riverside Drive, Sandy, Utah (801) 568-4653

Sandy.utah.gov/golf

INMOTION SPRING 2024 JUNIOR GOLF

Programs are taught by PGA Professionals, Todd Tanner & Stacey Jones.

Our one hour and two hour programs are held once a week. Each class has a 5:1 student to instructor ratio. Students are placed in a class based on their age and skill level.

Each program includes short game practice, range balls, in-depth instruction, video analysis and on-course playing time. For more information, call (801) 980-0162.

Listed below are our 9-week Spring programs.

Ages: 4–18 years

Level: Beginner –Intermediate –Advanced

Times: 3–7 p.m. Time slots

Registration: inmotionjuniorgolf.com

2024 LADIES & CO-ED LEAGUE

All Ladies and Co-Ed Leagues will play on Mondays. Players may play any time of the day. Players must play with someone else in the league to verify their score.

Start Date: Monday, Apr. 1 – Oct. 28.

League Members can book tee times 8 days in advance.

Fees: $40 Annual Fee ($80 for Co-Ed)

Weekly Cost: $5 per person on top of the applicable green and cart fees. For more info & to sign-up, visit: sandy.utah.gov/golf

2024 MEN’S GOLF LEAGUE

e vision of the Men’s Association is to provide a golf environment of friendly competition and enjoyment.

Start Date: Tuesday, March 1

Association Fees: $45

Green Fees 9-hole: $18 walking $28 to ride

Weekly event fee: $5

Skins: $5 Skins, Deuces $5 (winnings all paid in shop credit)

Hole in one: $5 due at registration (optional) Must be paid with cash only

To sign up visit: sandy.utah.gov/golf

PARKS & RECREATION

SPRING SPORT REGISTRATION

SPORT GRADE COST DEADLINE

Boys Baseball 3-6

Girls Softball 3-6

$60 April 7

$55-$60 April 7

Coed T-ball/Coach Pitch Pre-K - 2 $40 April 7

2024 5K RACES

We o er a family discount to immediate family members with three or more people registering from the same household. We also o er a group discount for those representing a business, organization, etc. To be eligible for a group discount there must be a minimum of ve (5) participants. ese discounts are available online. When registering online you must register at the same time in the same transaction to receive the discount.

Fiesta 5k Saturday, May 4 Falcon Park

4th of July 5K ursday, July 4 Sandy Promenade

Midnight Moon 5K Saturday, Sep. 20 Alta Canyon Sports Center

Turkey Trot 5K Saturday, Nov. 9 Lone Peak Park

FISHING CLUB

e class is designed to help participants learn the basics of shing. e class consists of ve sessions.

Ages: 7 to 13 (children over 12 must have a shing license)

Dates: May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Day: Wednesday

Time: 6-7:30 p.m.

Cost: $20 (resident) $30 (non-resident)

Fishing Pole can be purchased for an additional $20.

Location: Grandpa’s Pond-900 W. Shields Lane (10000 S.)

ADULT PICK-UP BASKETBALL

Pick-Up Basketball will take place once per week on Wednesday nights. It will be a fun, casual evening to play some pick-up basketball. Some experience preferred, but not required. Games will be self-refereed. No dunking allowed. Sign up for the full month or by day if you cannot attend all four weeks. Registration will be capped at 15 individuals per night, no exceptions. Must be 18+ and registered to play.

Dates: April 3, 10, 17, 24

Day: Wednesday

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Cost: $15 a month or $5 per day

Location: Sandy Parks & Recreation - 440 E. 8680 S.

Online registration available for all programs at: sandy.utah.gov/registration

For more information: sandy.utah.gov/parks

ank You for choosing Sandy Parks and Recreation!

Youth Suicide Prevention: Talking About Suicide Is Okay

One of the biggest myths about suicide is that talking about suicide may give someone the idea to commit suicide. is is false. In fact, talking about suicide allows an individual to feel comfortable talking about it. So, let’s talk about youth and how the community can help prevent suicide.

Understanding warning signs and risk factors can increase one’s ability to recognize and support a youth who may be suicidal or having suicidal thoughts. Keep in mind these things when talking to youth about suicide:

1. Youth attempt suicide or commit suicide due to:

• Overwhelming thoughts of hopelessness.

• Trying to escape a situation from which they can’t deal.

• Feelings of rejection, guilt, anger, or sadness.

2. Youth/teens are often dealing with problems that may seem small/insigni cant to adults but are huge and very real to them.

3. Suicide is about ending pain for youth/teens.

Warning signs include three di erent areas: talk, behavior, and mood. Listen to what a youth is saying. ey could be talking about killing themselves, having no reason to live, feeling trapped, being a burden or feeling hopeless. Watch a youth’s behavior. Consider if a youth has started isolating themselves, withdrawing from activities they normally enjoy (for youth that could mean not spending time with friends, texting friends or being on social media regularly), a change in schoolwork/attendance, or acts of reckless behavior (that could include alcohol, drugs or risky behavior). Has there been a change in a youth’s mood? Watch to see if a youth has depression, anxiety, irritability, shame/humiliation, anger

outbursts or even a relief/sudden improvement of their mood. Risk factors can be viewed in three di erent areas as well: health factors, historical/other factors and environmental factors. Health factors will include current mental health conditions, serious physical health conditions including chronic pain or a change in health conditions/serious injury. Historical/ other factors would be situations where there have been previous suicide attempts, a family history of suicide or some type of abuse, neglect or trauma that occurred during childhood. ere are many environmental factors that may a ect a youth who is thinking about suicide. ose environmental factors can include, but are not limited to:

1. Prolonged stress (harassment, bullying, cyberbullying, relationship problems, sextortion, etc.)

2. Stressful life events (rejection, break-up, divorce of parents, death/loss of a loved one, etc.)

3. Exposure to another person’s suicide

4. Sensationalized accounts of suicide. is can include media accounts, social media accounts, movies, TV shows (13 Reasons Why), books, or even discussion among friends.

5. Having access to lethal means ( rearms, medication, drugs, etc.)

While some risk factors cannot be changed, there are some things that can lessen their impact. ese things can be put into place at any given time. One of the biggest things is what we’ve been talking about, communication. When youth know, they can talk to parents/guardians, friends and

family, they will feel more comfortable opening up about their stressors and feelings. School and community support can also help youth. Knowing they have community and school support can help them realize they are not alone and can have others to turn to. Helping youth learn coping skills, problem solving skills, con ict resolution and con dence in themselves will help them be more equipped to deal with challenges life brings.

If you suspect someone may be suicidal don’t be afraid to ask. Remember, talking about suicide is okay. Be yourself when talking to them and have empathy. Take the time to listen, be supportive and understanding. Don’t fear o ering hope without negating feelings. Take the person seriously. Finally, know your limitations on how you can help and assist them in locating professional help. You can go to https:// suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ for more information and resources. Remind youth they can download the SafeUT App and talk to someone anonymously.

Start the conversation today and help a youth that may be struggling. If you or someone you know is suicidal or having suicidal ideations, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. e Sandy Police Department is also available for support and information. On August 6th, the Sandy Police Department is holding A Night Out Against Crime where there will be resources and information about suicide prevention as well as professionals to answer questions.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Try Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products – Whether you shop for eco-friendlier cleaners or give non-toxic homemade formulas a try, you will be doing your part for the health of the planet as well as your household. Recipes are abundant online. Tried-and-true options include vinegar in water as a window cleaner; plant-based dish soap and vinegar as a kitchen degreaser, and baking soda sprinkled on the carpet as a deodorizer.

Employ Rags and Reusable Cloths – Forego reams of paper towels to accomplish your cleaning tasks. Simply rip up old t-shirts or bed sheets to get the dirty jobs done. Rags can, of course, be washed for repeat use. Purchasing reusable cleaning cloths and mops with washable pads is also wise. Don’t hesitate to repurpose old toothbrushes to scrub cracks and crevices.

Hang Laundry Up to Dry – Sunshine is reported to be a natural sanitizer that destroys micro-organisms and thus squelches smell on fabrics. Additionally, line drying or investing in a drying rack saves energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an average household can save about $100 annually by air-drying their clothes instead of using the laundry dryer.

Fix Drips and Leaks - Fix leaky faucets, dripping shower heads and toilets that run to reduce water use. Don’t run the dishwasher unless it’s full. And, if you like to clean your dishes before stacking them in the dishwasher for sanitizing, try presoaking the dishes rather than scrubbing them under running water.

Recycle Right – Do a spring refresh of the basic rules for the local curbside recycling program. Only recycle clean paper, cardboard, metal beverage and food cans and plastics that are shaped like bottles, jugs and jars. Glass is not accepted in curbside carts in Sandy City. For more info on how to recycle, visit wm.com/ RecycleRight.

Dispose Responsibly – It’s important to never dispose of medications, hazardous household waste or electronic in trash or recycling bins. These materials can be harmful to the environment.

• Household hazardous waste can be dropped off for no charge for Salt Lake County residents at two area landfills, namely Trans-Jordan Landfill and Salt Lake Valley Landfill. The latter accepts electronics. Visit sandy.utah.gov/346/ Household-Hazardous for more information.

• Unwanted or expired prescription medications can be dropped off in Sandy City’s Drug Take-Back Box located in the main lobby at the Police Department, 10000 Centennial Parkway. For more information, visit sandy.utah.gov/449/ Medication-Disposal.

Participate in Local Green Cleanup – Sandy City’s Spring Bulk Waste collection season runs through June 6. To find your bulk waste day, visit sandy.utah.gov/320/ Bulk-Waste. There you’ll find details about what is accepted. Remember the per household total volume is limited to an area 2 feet from your curb measuring 20’ x 6’ and 4’ tall. Tree limbs must not exceed 4’ in length or 18” thick. SUSTAINABILITY

SANDY CITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS APRIL–MAY 2024

Donations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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

“We would love if there were any other donors out in the community to contact us if they’re willing to donate anything to help put this prom on,” said Linda Hall, Canyons School District’s special education administrator. “We’re always looking for community partners. For example, if there was someone with a flower shop that would like to donate flowers or if somebody who owns a drink shop would like to do drinks or if someone has some way to help, we’d appreciate making this special for these students.”

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

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

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

Congratulations to our March Members of the Month: Pharoah Markson III, Luis De La Cruz, & Joshua Velazquez! Pharoah is 9 years old: Pharoah wants to become a football player when he grows up, Pharoah has been attending the Sandy Club for 7 months, and in that time he has learned to be more independent. Luis is 11 years old: he wants to become a mechanic, he has been attending for 2 weeks, and in that time he has learned to be kind. Joshua is 6 years old: he wants to become a construction worker, he has been attending for 8 months, and in that time he has learned to be kind.

Congratulations once again, we are so proud of you all!

a typical high school prom,” she said.

Wilson has hopes for the students beyond the dance.

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

Additionally, it provides an optional social opportunity for her students.

“My students, love, love, love dancing, and they love going to school dances, but they can only go for the first half an hour when nobody else is there. A typical high school dance can be a little rowdy. There always seems to be a mosh pit. The music is always crazy loud. The lights are always strobing,” Wilson said about dances where 2,500 students in a high school could attend. “This dance would be a

good opportunity to provide more of a sensory friendly prom where wearing headphones is totally acceptable and there won’t be any crazy strobe lights or fog that’s getting pushed into the dance. It gives them a chance to interact and hang out with each other.”

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

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

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

Area students top DECA’s state finals; international competition will be in April

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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

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

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

DECA’s mission to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges

worldwide. There are more than 255,000 DECA members who are students, teachers, advisers, alumni and professionals.

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

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

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

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

Top finishers from Alta, Bingham, Brighton, Corner Canyon, Cottonwood, Jordan, Hillcrest and Murray high schools include:

• Business Administration Exam

— Thomas Hansen, Brighton; McKenna Fuller, Bingham; Surya Kapu, Corner Canyon; Stephanie Ball, Corner Canyon

• Business Management and Administration Exam — Russ Storm, Bingham

• Entrepreneurship Exam — Nathan Laker, Corner Canyon; Kimball Shill, Brighton; Zachary Naylor, Corner Canyon

• Hospitality and Tourism Exam

— Allen Liang, Hillcrest; Sophia Lin, Hillcrest; Maximilian Schneider, Jordan; Nathan Williamson, Corner Canyon; Grace Norton, Corner Canyon; Sang Chun, Hillcrest; Teagan Kay, Hillcrest; Daniel Whalen, Murray

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

• Automotive Services — Dima Kurdi, Alta

• Business Finance — Veeranshu Danech, Hillcrest

• Business Growth Plan team — Corner Canyon

• Business Law and Ethics team

— Bingham

• Business Services Marketing

— Aditi Vandanapu, Corner Canyon

• Business Services Operations Research team — Brighton; Hillcrest

• Business Solutions Project Management team — Corner Canyon

• Buying and Merchandising Operations Research team –Hillcrest

• Buying and Merchandising team

— Hillcrest

• Career Development Project Management team — two teams from Corner Canyon

• Community Awareness Project Management team — two teams from Corner Canyon

• Community Giving Project Management team — Alta

• Entrepreneurship — Kalash Rimal, Bingham; Thomas Pepper, Cottonwood

• Financial Literacy Project Management team — Hillcrest

• Financial Services team — Alta

• Food Marketing — Allie Hammond, Corner Canyon

• Franchise Business Plan team — Corner Canyon

• Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research — two teams from Hillcrest

• Hospitality Services team — three teams from Corner Canyon

• Hotel and Lodging Management

— Grace Norton, Corner Canyon; Amy Baer, Corner Canyon

• Human Resources Management

— Haley Neff, Corner Canyon; Maria Salazar, Murray

• Independent Business Plan team — Alta; Hillcrest; Corner Canyon

• Personal Finance Literacy — Ava Lindman, Corner Canyon

• Principles of Business Management & Administration

— Jake Catten, Cottonwood

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

• Principles of Hospitality and Tourism — Alexandra Franklin, Bingham

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

• Professional Selling — Dovan Lapin, Corner Canyon

• Quick Serve Restaurant Management — Daniel Whalen, Murray; Teagan Kay, Hillcrest; Sienna Yang, Hillcrest

• Restaurant & Food Service Management — Sang Chun, Hillcrest

• Retail Merchandising — Colton Woodley, Alta

• School Business Enterprise Event team — Alta; Brighton; Jordan; Corner Canyon

• Sports & Entertainment Marketing team — two teams from Hillcrest; Cottonwood

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

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

Sandy author unveils the power of resilience

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

If Holly Curby has learned one thing in the last decade, it’s that she can decide how she responds to heartbreak and loss. She’s learned to keep standing in the face of adversity and wants to share that message with the world.

Curby is a Sandy resident and author of the book, “Face-Lift: Embracing Hope through your Heartaches” which was published last April. When her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2019, she told Curby to write a book about resilience. On the day her mother died, Curby promised her she’d get the book done.

“My mother had encouraged me for years, with all the different heartaches and trials that I had persevered, that I needed to write a book,” she said. “It was about reminding myself to live, no matter what discouragement or whatever circumstances were happening, that there was good, and that there were so many blessings within the day.”

Curby said her resilience practice started in 2012 when her marriage fell apart. As a single mom raising two children, she felt alone and discouraged. To make a tough situation worse, she got laid off from her job.

In 2014, Curby’s mother was hospital-

ized after drinking iced tea that was accidentally mixed with lye at a local barbecue restaurant. Doctors didn’t think she’d survive, but she pulled through. Then, in 2015, Curby’s dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer, which is treatable but not curable. Add in a botched hip surgery Curby experienced and it seemed her life was one disaster after another.

Instead of spiraling in fear and grief, Curby turned to her social media platforms where she began posting uplifting and encouraging quotes. People started telling her how much those positive messages meant.

“We can wallow in self-pity, or we can look at the blessings and the goodness,” Curby said. “It’s also about having a support team around us. We often think we have to do everything alone to show that we can. It’s not a weakness to reach out and say I need help.”

Curby started a podcast, Holly’s Highlights, in 2020, offering advice to listeners who needed encouragement and direction to create a meaningful life, despite its challenges. Each month one of Curby’s podcasts is featured as a column in the City Journals, usually in Riverton, West Jordan or South Jordan.

Along with being a podcast host, author, public speaker and coach, Curby is also the director of culture and community for Chick-fil-A. But she said her favorite job is being a mom to her daughter who plays soccer at Alta High, and her son in middle school.

Her book has won several awards including the Feathered Quill and Illuminations Awards for Self-Help. It also received an honorable mention at the Los Angeles Hollywood Book Festival.

Curby said writing the book didn’t change her, but it encouraged her to develop and retain a mindset of resilience, kindness and connection.

“Even on some of our roughest days, we can be reminded there’s still hope, and whatever is happening, we can, as the title says, lift our face to be encouraged,” she said. “Whatever we go through in life, we can be vulnerable in bringing to light our fears and our failures or our passions. We can truly humble ourselves and use our path, not to define us, but rather to see the hope that is within us and to create a future that looks different because it is so good.”

For more information about Curby, or to find her book, visit HollyCurby.com. l

Holly Curby signs copies of her book “Face-Lift: Embracing Hope through your Heartaches.” The Sandy resident wants her book to inspire and uplift anyone going through challenges. (Photo courtesy of Holly Curby)

Chief Building Official Jim McClintic receives award for 30-plus years of service to Sandy

The night of the International Code Council’s 2023 banquet in March 2024, Jim McClintic sat in his seat with his camera to his eye—completely unaware of what was about to happen and standing ready to photograph the award recipient.

He had organized the trophies earlier in the evening but hadn’t looked at the names of the recipients—he was just helping, like he’d done for years.

So when his picture first appeared on the slideshow during the presentation for the award, he thought it was a joke and he laughed.

“I’m sitting there and they showed a picture of me, and I thought ‘that’s pretty funny,’” said McClintic. “They showed the third, and I’m still not quite getting it.”

“When they showed the fourth….I realized that I had gotten the award,” he said. “It totally surprised me.”

He said that he never expected anything in return for his work and was humbled by the honor.

The thing about McClintic is that he’s the guy that keeps on giving beyond what’s required of him—it might be the way he was raised in the “work-to-eat era” as he called it, or maybe it’s because he's just him.

Most of his colleagues would probably agree with the latter.

“He’s just a great guy,” said Rob Durfee, a professional building inspector for Sandy City who has worked with McClintic for 17 years. “He’s a guy that cares about everyone.”

McClintic became only the second person in the Utah Chapter of the International Code Council to be awarded with two lifetime achievement awards—he was presented with the longtime Jess M. Miller Award in 2018 and now the Gilbert Gonzales Award for 2023.

The success he’s seen in his career, McClintic said, can be attributed to his team.

“I don’t want this to be a ‘me thing,’” said McClintic, “it’s a group effort with this department.”

McClintic started working in Sandy City’s Community Development department 33 years ago when he first started as a building inspector. Since then he has been promoted to plans examiner and finally into his current position in 2020 as Sandy’s Chief Building Official.

“I can’t think of anybody more than Jim and his colleagues in the building inspection department who’ve done more to protect life and safety in our buildings,” said Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski. “This man eats, drinks and speaks building code.”

Sandy’s Community Development team is in charge of working with contractors who are building or planning to build in Sandy. They make sure buildings are up to code with safety regulations to keep the community safe and keep builders responsible.

By Rebecca Olds | r.olds@mycityjournals.com

For McClintic, the Gilbert Gonzales award is a powerful reminder of who it’s named after and how his legacy pushes McClintic and his entire team to be better every day.

Who is Gilbert Gonzales?

McClintic said that perhaps the biggest lesson he learned from Gonzales was to “never be afraid,” he told the City Journals. Even when he was at his weakest, McClintic said that Gonzales helped people and “always had a smile.”

Gonzales died from cancer in 2017. The award McClintic received was named in his honor that same year to recognize “outstanding individuals for their lifelong achievement

in the building and safety industry,” according to a note that McClintic’s team wrote about him. Since then, only six individuals have been awarded with the Gilbert Gonzales award, including McClintic.

Gonzales was well known in his field across the state for going the extra mile. He not only did his job well, but he mentored and helped as many people as he could.

“He always wanted to promote professionalism and raise the bar for building departments,” said McClintic. “He always wanted to do more.”

Leading up to Gonzales’ death, McClintic and his colleagues worked tirelessly to build him a home. McClintic would work during

the day and then at night, he would head over to work on Gonzales’ house. Unfortunately, it wasn’t completed before he died.

The award isn't an annual award, but is only presented when an individual is nominated by ICC leadership to members that go above and beyond throughout their career.

Who is McClintic?

A major accomplishment of McClintic’s career was his co-organization of the Utah Safety Assessment Program, with Gonzales that he’s still chair of today.

In case of emergencies like earthquakes or other natural disasters, those inspectors certified by the program can be assigned in

Colleagues Don Slick (left) and Rob Durfee (right) with Jim McClintic (center) who received the Gilbert Gonzales Award during the Jess M. Miller Awards Banquet for the Utah Chapter of the International Code Council in St. George on Feb. 22. (Photo courtesy of Rob Durfee)

Gilbert Gonzales, namesake of the Gilbert Gonzales Award, relaxes on Intermountain Healthcare Hospital plans the department was responsible to review before building permits were issued.

Jim McClintic working on Gilbert Gonzales’ bathtub in his new house. McClintic came every day after work to work on the house for the better part of a year. (Photo courtesy of Jim McClintic)

When Gilbert Gonzales was sick with cancer, colleagues and friends (left to right) Layne Western then a West Jordan Building Official, Tom Peterson Utah’s Chief Building Official, Jason Van Ausdal then a Springville Building Official, Sam Morgan, Architect, and Jim McClintic helped with construction of his new house in 2017. Gonzales died before the house was complete. (Photo courtesy of Jim McClintic)

groups

and stability of buildings across the state.

During his career, McClintic has served as President of Utah’s ICC chapter in 2012 and numerous committees including being a board member of the Utah Chapter of ICC, the Unified Architecture/Fire Advisory Committee and the Code Change Committee, and manager of the Utah Chapter Code Forum. He currently serves as historian on Utah’s ICC board.

The title of historian was made specifi-

cally for McClintic, Durfee told the City Journals. He has taken hundreds of thousands of pictures at banquets, events and just about everywhere else.

“There’s nowhere you go without Jim’s camera,” Durfee said with a chuckle.

James Sorenson, Sandy City community development director, said that all the photos hanging in the office were taken by McClintic to record the department’s history.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” said McClintic. But he finished, in true McClintic fashion, “there’s still work to do.” l

Waterford School student commons and dining hall to open in August

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Under construction at The Waterford School is the new student commons, which will house a dining hall for 475 people, a student store, a community gathering area, meeting spaces, an outdoor plaza and the office for the dean of students. It is expected to open in fall 2024.

A 2016 International Code Council meeting where Gilbert Gonzales was applauded by ICC’s board of directors for his work. (Photo courtesy of Jim McClintic)

along with local fire departments and engineers to check the safety

‘Spread

the Word: Inclusion’—and

Granite Elementary did just that

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

It started with a simple notice in a newsletter—Spread the Word: Inclusion—and speech language pathologist Juliette Palmer sprang into action.

“I have that fire burning within; I want to do it,” she said. “I feel like my voice is heard, and that I’m an advocate for our students.”

Palmer said her goal “at Granite Elementary with this population is to make it make every day more functional so all kids can participate in classroom environments, not be segregated. It’s been my calling, and thankfully, I’m in the right setting where I’ve worked with this amazing group of teachers who are all about inclusion.”

During mid-February, Granite Elementary held its schoolwide inclusion week, even inviting Essential Elements (grade-level alternate core standards for students with significant cognitive disability) classes from Willow Canyon Elementary to an event.

It began with Palmer and colleagues brainstorming ideas, then selecting several for the week.

“I brought it to my team’s attention a couple weeks back. I said, ‘Hey, this looks like fun’ and they were really gung-ho and excited,” she said, adding that the motivation was to promote inclusivity, which Granite already does.

Principal Elcena Saline said often she sees students not just accept, but invite peers in their typical day.

“Our neighborhood kids know how to go up to a student who’s an EEC buddy and invite them to play,” she said. “They know how to go to a classroom and invite a student to come into class for read aloud or for an art activity. Most of our students can’t wait for their turn to be a buddy at recess or to sit by a buddy in the lunchroom. They know how to adapt their play and their communication to their friends with special needs, it’s magical to see.”

Special education teacher Laura Bossard adds, “Not only do they know how, but they’re comfortable doing it. It’s not a thing they have to think about. It’s natural.”

They agreed it would be a refresher from a lesson Palmer gave to school children earlier in the year.

“The lesson was for younger grades on how to include our buddies,” Palmer said. “This was a jumping off point on what makes Granite great, and that’s our buddies. We talked about our differences from straight hair to wavy hair or I play basketball, or I have dark skin, or I have freckles or I speak Portuguese and then going into how all brains work differently and bodies work differently. So, the kids were familiar with how to be a buddy and our expectations.”

As the planning went along, Palmer said that the PTA wanted to help with in-

clusion week and “hit the ground running” adding activities.

At the beginning of the day, Monday, Feb. 12, teachers shared messages about inclusion that they would continue throughout the week. They wore shirts they had purchased on their own that said, “The future is inclusive,” which set the tone, Palmer said.

Monday morning’s school announcements came on, and it was an EEC student paired with a student leader greeting students that day and every day that week.

“It was one of my favorite parts,” Saline said. “Our EEC students would say, ‘Good morning, Granite Grizzlies,’ and they had practiced that for two and three weeks beforehand. They were excited and proud of themselves. It was cool.”

That first day of inclusion week, the school held a pep rally. Students learned about the week’s activities and received wristbands that read, “Granite includes every kid every day.”

After the teacher message or activity about inclusion on Tuesday, students rotated to their activities as usual, only the librarians focused on inclusion activities, Palmer said.

“Our librarians read inclusion books, with some really amazing messages there and they had some great lesson topics like what does inclusion feel like? What does it look like? What does it sound like? I love they had included all the senses which really brought it home,” Palmer said. “They were asked, ‘What does it feel like to be excluded?’ It offered more opportunities for kids to respond saying they felt left out and not being invited to play doesn’t make them

feel good. It made me clench my heart and fall over just with love and adoration. These kids really got it; they weren’t forced into this. They want to do it.”

When they went to another rotation, the PE coach introduced all students to activities which the EEC students and their buddies would do later that week so they could try new activities, share those experiences and better understand their buddies, Palmer said.

At lunch, the PTA had an inclusive pledge for the school community. It, too, was inclusive by having each individual use a thumbprint or fingerprint on many colors of ink pads instead of signing their names.

“It was a big heart that said, ‘I will include every kid every day’ with all the thumbprints within the heart. It was heartwarming to see everyone being a part of it,” Bossard said.

The next day, Valentine’s Day, the PTA included paper tiles for each student to color as they had classroom parties.

“When they put together these inclusion tiles, it created this cohesive mural, with that same phrase of inclusion. There was a cute drawing of kids holding hands that our PTA president, Bridget Smith, had drawn. It’s an amazing idea and collaborative art project from our PTA. I’m grateful for that support and their brilliance; it was just perfect to do it on Valentine’s Day be-

cause inclusion and love go together,” she said, adding that they’ll be laminating both the pledge poster and mural to hang in the school.

Each day, the school community unified through special dress-up days, such as graphic T-shirt days, pajama day and a crazy hair day and Valentine’s colors day, Granite T-shirt.

During the week, students also created a “How to be a Good Buddy” book. The book has pages where students could fill out their responses, Palmer said.

“There was ‘instead of staring at someone, we can;’ ‘instead of laughing at someone, we can;’ ‘my buddy might not speak. but my buddy can;’ ‘I can be a good example to my buddies by;’ and ‘We’re all different, but we treat each other with.’ The kids’ responses brightened my day; they realize we’re all different, but we treat each other with respect and love. Our EEC kids were able to fill out an adapted version, where the kids could create a sentence using pictures, piecing together a picture of how they like to play with their buddies,” she said about special education teacher Taylor Hekking using the Boardmaker app that “allows our students to really understand a sentence and then use it to communicate.”

On Thursday, several students’ names were selected to be buddies with both Granite and Willow Canyon EEC students the

Granite Elementary students pledge with their thumbprints to include every kid every day as part of the school’s inclusion week. (Photo courtesy of Granite Elementary)

Students try a giant keyboard during Granite Elementary’s unified sports day with Willow Canyon Elementary. (Photo courtesy of Willow Canyon Elementary)

next day. They participated in creating an inclusion video, which was shown to the school the following morning.

When Willow Canyon students departed from a school bus at Granite on Friday, they paraded with their new buddies through the school with Granite’s EEC students as the student body cheered for them.

Melissa Cox was one of the Willow Canyon special education teachers who escorted students to Granite.

“I was a little nervous about it,” she said. “We were going to a new place, and we have students who don’t handle loud noises and lots of people and change, but it turned out great. Our kids loved to be part of the parade; they had a couple of gen ed kids walk with them. That inclusion part is a big thing for our kids. The rest of the gen ed kids were so accepting, cheering for us.”

With inclement weather, the activities were moved indoors at Granite. The “simplified” sports day for about 75 EEC student plus their peers featured an obstacle course, a dance room, a sensory walk for hands or feet, and soccer lanes where students practiced their skills.

“It worked pretty seamlessly. I kept saying, ‘It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s going to be fun. That’s our goal—and it was,” Palmer said. “I witnessed some cute moments when they did the obstacle course holding hands or going through the tube, they’d crawl first and turn around to cheer on their buddy. In the dance room, I saw a second-grade boy dancing with a buddy who has Down syndrome. He would spin her around and then, I’d see them smiling

at each other.”

Helping with the unified activity was the Jordan High peer leadership team Latinos in Action. Seeing their reaction in the parade was uplifting to Bossard.

“I loved how the whole community came together. One of my best memories was watching the Jordan students and their reaction as we walked through the parade. They were so happy. It was moving to watch how that affected the high schoolers. They just thought that was the best,” she said, adding that they were “a tremendous help” with setting up the activities that needed to be adjusted for the indoors.

At the end of the 90 minutes, each participant received a little trophy.

Cox hopes that Willow Canyon can reciprocate the invitation in May and include Granite EEC students when a group comes to perform a musical for her students.

Willow Canyon and Granite are the only elementary schools that have EEC classrooms; Granite welcomed a portion of Willow Canyon’s students more than a decade ago, Bossard said.

“These kids have all grown up together. They’re accepting of everyone. It’s an amazing community,” she said.

Afterward, Granite’s faculty and staff came together to celebrate the positives of inclusion week.

“It was awesome to shine a light on inclusion,” Palmer said. “We heard how excited and overjoyed students were and told their parents about the week. The impact reached a little farther, bringing more awareness and love and joy.” l

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Granite Elementary staff and faculty say students are friends with everyone at the school, welcoming each other to play at recess and eat together at lunch as well as be buddies in the classroom and in school activities. (Photo courtesy of Granite Elementary)

Young Sandy resident clinches silver at world's

Each year, Las Vegas hosts the world's largest indoor archery tournament, drawing competitors from all corners of the globe. This year, after demonstrating his skill and determination, 11-year-old Sandy resident Anirudhkalyan Pinjala clinched second place for the second year in a row in the recurve category for males ages 12 and under, earning a silver medal and a $750 scholarship.

Anirudhkalyan first started archery when he was 8 years old. “He just wanted to give it a try for fun and he seemed to really like it,” said his mother, Kalyani Yerra. He soon began training at Datus Archery Club in West Jordan, practicing a few days a week for a couple of hours each day “to make sure he finds his process and learns his perfect process and shoots well.”

“He always does what we call target archery, meaning he uses a recurve bow and shoots at targets at various distances,” Yerra said.

His first experience competing in the Las Vegas Shoot came when he was 9.

“That was really exciting for him to see some of the Olympic shooters there and look at how they are shooting and what that competition is all about,” Yerra said.

After his first Las Vegas Shoot competition, he began to focus his practicing and train-

By Megan McKellar | m.mckellar@mycityjournals.com

ing to improve even more and achieve higher scores during the competitions. His dedication paid off as he began to excel in local tournaments.

After returning from the Las Vegas Shoot this year, Anirudhkalyan participated in two national competitions. These competitions, known as the U.S. Target Nationals, are part of the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program, where young archers compete across the nation. Anirudhkalyan secured first place in the nation in his category, guaranteeing him a gold medal from USA Archery. Now, he's preparing for upcoming outdoor competitions.

At this year’s Las Vegas Shoot, Anirudhkalyan had the opportunity to work personally with Casey Kaufhold, an Olympian and top archer in the nation. This experience further fueled his ambition to pursue an Olympic gold medal in the future, since one of Anirudhkalyan’s long-term goals is to eventually become an Olympic gold medalist.

Anirudhkalyan's mother reflected on their family's role in his journey, acknowledging their support while making it clear that Anirudhkalyan possesses an intrinsic drive and determination.

“We can only do so much in terms of supporting, but the actual drive, the work, the effort to put in to understand what he needs to do to grasp the concept and implement it,” she said. “Everything is in him. I think a lot of it is his hard work, his dedication….He always wants the best shooting outcome.”

In addition to his remarkable achievements in archery, Anirudhkalyan balances his passions with academic excellence and a di-

verse range of interests. He is a sixth grader at Wasatch Junior High School and also plays the piano, tennis, and receives straight A’s in school.

“He wants to be the best in what he does,” Yerra said. l

Sandy resident Anirudhkalyan Pinjala clinched second place for the second year in a row in the recurve category for males ages 12 and under, earning a silver medal. (Photo courtesy Balaji Pinjala)

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

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

“I get to make basketball hoops.”

“I’ve made friends on my team.”

“I’m part of my school now.”

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

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

“It makes my heart happy.”

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

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

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

“It fosters inclusion and mentoring opportunities in our schools,” she said. “We are hoping to have unified sports across all grade levels.”

The “May the Fourth Be with You Fun Run” will be held at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 4.

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

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

Each participant will receive a themed fanny pack at the event, said Linda Hall, Can yons School District’s special education ad ministrator.

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

Lone Peak Elementary celebrates culture during Chinese New Year festival

Through centuries of shared history, Chinese customs has endured.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another tradition the school did was to have a parade through the school with its lion

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lone Peak fifth-grade students also took to the stage performing “The Great Race” writ-

ten and directed by Jorgensen based on a play by Andrew Forbes. Janie Owens was the assistant director.

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

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

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

Addison, who hopes to go to Shanghai with her family next year, said she loved the Chinese dancing and yo-yo performed by the Su Mama Chinese Club as well as the morning exercises they did all week.

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

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

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

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

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

“My family started our dual immersion journey about 11 years ago when I was looking for just kind of an advanced educational option

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lone Peak students were excited to see the lion dance at their school’s Chinese New Year assembly. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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Silver Mesa provides STEAM activities to nurture future problem-solvers

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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Renee Beus likes being involved in her daughters’—fourth-grader Lucy and first-grader Clara—school. That’s why she was excited to bring the family to Silver Mesa Elementary’s recent STEAM night.

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“There are a lot of cool opportunities here the school provided,” she said as the kids from age 2 to 14 tried out the Keva contraptions. “It’s really cool that the kids are getting to build this engineering activity. They’re learning skills they can provide to the world. I brought all five of my kids tonight, even my daughter who turned 10 today. She wanted to come as long as she could have ice cream afterward.”

Down the hallway, Ann Marie Louder was with her daughters, Sylvie and Rosie, figuring out the Tetris puzzle challenge.

“We do a lot of science experiments at home, like making a volcano, so we were excited to come and try the challenges here,” she said. “I appreciate my girls having the opportunity to try some engineering and seeing women in science. It’s great they see these role models.”

Hearing that is something that would likely excite 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.

“I want as many kids as possible to be able to see STEAM in their future,” she said. “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.”

In another room, parent volunteer Adam Smith, was overseeing the xylophone challenge.

“I like to lend a hand whenever schools and teachers need assistance, and interact with all the kids,” Smith said. “This is teaching students how to approach a problem with a set of instructions and apply their problem-solving skills to hopefully succeed with the instructions, but also do something fun along the way, such as learn how to play ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ or ‘Jingle Bells’ or another song.”

Smith, a father of a third grader, values students learning these skills.

“They’re going to face big problems along the way and eventually, everyone’s going to have their own unique set of challenges so learning these simple examples of problem-solving will hopefully help them apply the skills on a bigger scale later in

life. It also teaches them a willingness to sit down and read and to construct a solution,” he said.

That’s the goal behind STEAM night, Martz said.

In the kits that come with dozens of challenges, students learn 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, try 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, adults were modeling that, allowing students to figure out the tasks at hand. The activities connected to academic core standards and were available in both English and Spanish, which was helpful for the dual immersion school.

Martz said these challenges are 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

During Silver Mesa’s STEAM night, families used Hot Wheels to test how the height of the car’s release affected the distance it traveled. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Dimple Dell Regional Park’s annual Earth Day Clean Up set for April 27

By Megan McKellar | m.mckellar@mycityjournals.com

For the last four years, various projects at Dimple Dell Regional Park have been underway to enhance patron experience, preserve the natural environment and increase safety within the park. A celebration of the projects’ completion, as well as the eighth annual Dimple Dell Preservation Community Earth Day Clean Up, will take place April 27 from 8:30 a.m. until approximately noon.

The first sign-in location for the event will be at the Dimple Dell Trailhead, 2765 E. Dimple Dell Road. The second sign-in location at Wrangler Trail Head, 10350 S. 1300 East, will begin with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“It's been a great collaborative effort with our group, the Dimple Dell Preservation Community, with Salt Lake County Parks, with Sandy City Parks,” Joyce Walker, president of the Dimple Dell Preservation Community, said.

The park’s trailheads have been improved to be “more accessible, more comfortable and more aesthetically pleasing,” said Dan Sonntag, Salt Lake County park planner and project manager. Trailhead improvements include new restrooms, parking lots, picnic areas and pavilions.

The new Badger Trailhead, is unique

see deer while they're out walking,” Walker said. “As far as a park of this caliber goes, there are very few like this in the United States where it is a natural preserve surrounded in an urban setting.…And so part of our Earth Day is to educate and to help increase awareness and to help people to recognize and be good stewards of this beautiful treasure that we have in our community.”

in that “it's lower and closer into the end of the park so you don't have to descend a bunch of elevation to get to the creek bed,

which is where some of the major trails are that run east and west,” Sonntag said.

During the Earth Day Clean Up on April 27, the Dimple Dell Preservation Community will lead volunteers in various projects around the park.

In addition to improvements to trailheads, the two historic homes on the site— the Muir-Poulsen home and the Spencer home—have now both been added to the Historic Register so they're protected under the Historic Registry. “We've done projects to prevent deterioration of the homes,” Sonntag said. “Through working with the State Historic Preservation Office we identified some archaeological relics which include irrigation ditches, an old orchard area and an old barn; and we have a plan that identifies those areas and how we could develop a little historic park area that includes walking trails, outdoor education areas, and restoration of a fruit orchard.”

“The Muir-Poulsen home—we've worked to help stabilize and restore that historic home and there's much more to do,” Walker said. “At present, we are part way through an outdoor classroom. There are some beautiful hardwood benches that people can sit on and look west. Often, while they're there, they will be visited by birds and squirrels in the orchard.”

“We have them remove some of the invasive, non-natural plants that take over,” Walker said. “We send the children out with colorful lunch bags that contain seed that is natural—natural grasses, natural flowering plants that are indigenous to the park, and they'll sprinkle those seeds on areas that have been denuded by people creating footpaths where they shouldn't be.”

Other projects that will be part of the Earth Day Clean Up will include painting a footbridge, trail repairs, and fire remediation in conjunction with the Sandy City Fire Department; then beginning at 12 p.m., 20 fruit trees will be planted at the Muir-Poulsen home.

“There's just a great many hidden treasures in this park,” Walker said. “We just really want to help people be aware of them.”

Larger volunteer groups who would like to attend can contact Joyce Walker by phone, 801-598-1008, send an email to the Dimple Dell Preservation Community www.dimpledellwild.weebly.com/contact. html, or send a message to the group’s Facebook page.

Several interpretive signs have also been installed on the main trails that teach visitors about the park’s natural history, fire danger, wildlife, trail etiquette, ancient Native American use, and more.

“It's really important that we don't tame and pave and groom every inch of our communities. There need to be places where people can go for solitude, where people can go and recharge their souls, where people can take their children and

It is recommended that event attendees wear gloves, sturdy shoes, and work clothes, bring tools such as a trowel, shovel, hand spade, or rake, and carpool.

“Show up ready to contribute,” Walker said, “and to learn and to enjoy a beautiful morning in the park.” l

Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski participates in the annual Dimple Dell Preservation Community Earth Day Clean Up, will take place April 27 from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 12 p.m. (Photo courtesy Joyce Walker)

Deer can be seen at Dimple Dell Regional Park. (Photo courtesy Joyce Walker)

Experienced Jordan boys tennis team has high hopes for season

If there’s one thing coaches love on a team, it’s having experienced players to set the tone with good play and leadership. As head coach of the Jordan High School boys tennis team Matthew Bell has this luxury.

The Beetdiggers have several players who are in their third or fourth year in the program. The value of match experience can’t be overstated. Consequently, Bell expects big things from his team this season.

“Everything is going really well so far,” he said. “We have very high expectations this year.”

Interestingly, however, Jordan’s top player is arguably JT Buxton, who is just a freshman. Buxton holds down the first singles spot and has a chance to go far this year, Bell said.

“[Buxton] is a great player that has a lot in his bag to make things difficult for his opponents,” Bell said. “He has a complete game and is happy to work with his teammates to better develop their game.”

Two other singles players, who are seniors, are standout performers on the varsity squad. George Hill and Hayden Gardner should be consistent threats to earn points for the team. In addition, Keegan Grow and Will Coccimiglio, who play doubles, are key senior leaders for the Beetdiggers. They are

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

also student body officers at Jordan.

“[Hill] is a great leader,” Bell said. “[Gardner] works super hard. [Grow] and [Coccimiglio] are good examples during workouts.”

Jordan began the year with a successful performance at a tournament in St. George. Buxton reached the finals, and the team as a whole finished high in the standings. Bell is excited to see what the team does in region play and throughout the rest of the season. He is wary of the injury bug and how it can hamper the team’s play. He’s crossing his fingers that the Beetdiggers can stay healthy.

“Health is a factor,” he said. “We have had a few injuries already come up, including a season-ending torn ACL for one of our guys,” he said. “Otherwise, we do have a lot of the right players that will be accomplishing some great things this year.”

Bell would like to see the players improve on some areas of their game.

“We need to improve on general strategy and also recognizing personal strengths that make things tough on the opponent,” he said. “This is always something that develops over the course of a season. It is a fun process, and I’m excited to see it develop over the course of this season.”

Jordan will spend April in tournaments

and matches against region opponents and others. The Region 10 tournament will determine which players qualify for state. Bell is hoping to see multiple players reach the Class 4A state tournament. It takes place May 10 and 11 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.

Achieving the team’s goals will be challenging, and there are barriers that may stand in the way. Staying composed and focused will be crucial for the Beetdiggers, especially late in the season.

“Our biggest challenge will be to stay calm during the end-of-year tournaments,” he said. “We have the talent, but how we

handle our nerves will probably be the biggest factor on how far we go into the state tournament. We welcome that challenge and hope that we can make some good memories facing it.”

Win or lose, Bell is thankful for the chance to coach these boys. He appreciates and admires their work ethic and attitude.

“They are always ready to work,” he said. “We hit the weight room, do a lot of running and do lots of tennis, of course, and they get it done without complaining. They know that everything adds up to getting better.” l

With a lot of seniors and some young talent, there is reason for optimism this season for the Jordan boys tennis team. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Bell)

High standards: Alta boys soccer aims for big things again

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

Despite suffering heavy losses due to graduation last season, the outlook is positive for the Alta boys soccer team. After all, the Hawks’ program continually strives for excellence.

“Alta soccer always has high expectations, and this team is no different,” head coach Mackenzie Hyer said. “We are a new team after losing 10 seniors last year, but the players are stepping up to the challenge and working hard at becoming a team.”

The Hawks went 14-4 last season and posted a 12-2 record in Region 8, placing second. The Hawks advanced to the Class 5A state tournament, falling to Wasatch 4-2. Alta moved to Region 6 this season. With its cast of many new players and starters, Alta started off 4-0, including 2-0 in league play. Alta beat West Jordan 4-1 on March 8, routed St. Joseph’s 5-2 on March 12, defeated Skyline 4-1 on March 15 and got by Olympus 3-1 on March 19.

In region play, Alta will play each foe twice, concluding with a road game at Highland May 7. The 5A playoffs begin May 10. The Hawks face both challenges and opportunities this season.

“We are in a new, tough region this season,” Hyer said. “We lost a lot of players, but it's nice to get to start fresh and reward the players that have been doing the work the past couple of years with varsity time.”

Hyer said the team’s strengths include not only soccer skills but attributes that help the players outside of the game.

“They are great soccer players but even better people,” she said. “Each player is excited for his teammate’s success and victories.”

Alta boys basketball reaches final for second year in a row, falls to Olympus

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

Ayear after capturing the Class 5A state title, the Alta boys basketball team was once again in position to bring home a championship.

But there would be no repeat for the Hawks.

Alta advanced to the 5A finals where it faced fellow Region 6 foe Olympus, a team it had defeated earlier in the season 56-45. Olympus got the better of Alta in meeting No. 2 during the regular season. In this third matchup—one for the top prize in high school basketball—Alta couldn’t overcome the Titans.

Alta lost 69-61 in the March 1 contest, held in the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the campus of the University of Utah. A rough third quarter was the difference. Alta was up 32-31 at halftime but was on the wrong end of a 17-4 third-quarter run by Olympus.

season and not being able to claim another championship, Alta had plenty to be happy about with the 2023-24 campaign. The team played in front of huge crowds and competed well against excellent competition—not just against in-state team such as Olympus but also out-of-state opponents.

The Hawks finished the season with a 24-4 record and shared the Region 6 title with Olympus with a 10-2 mark. Ohrn is happy with his players and the efforts they made throughout the season. He told his players after the loss how proud he was of them and tried to keep things in perspective for them.

Alta captains Justin Roberts, a senior midfielder, and Bode Bjerregaard, a senior defender, are great examples of effort and commitment. They also have the skill and talent Hyer is looking for all over the field.

“[Roberts] runs the offense as a center midfielder,” Hyer said. “He has a high soccer IQ and is so creative in his play. He leads by example and is great at bringing everyone together and including all. [Bjerregaard] runs the defense as a center defender. He is the best example of hard work and dedication to the team. He wants the team to be successful and is willing to do the work to make that happen.”

Through the first four games, Roberts led the team in scoring with five goals and five assists. Junior forward Josh Glazier had four goals during this span, while Ashton VandenBerg, a senior midfielder, added three goals and two assists. Three other players tallied goals during this span.

Hyer, in her seventh year as Alta head coach, has compiled a 75-22 record. In 2022, she guided the Hawks to the state championship, becoming the first female coach in Utah to guide an all-male team high school team to a state title. She is an Alta alum and played soccer for the Hawks. Hyer also coaches the girls team. About this particular group of boys, she had nothing but positive things to say.

“These boys are so fun to be with,” she said. “Snow, rain, wind, sun—it doesn't matter. They show up each day ready to work and enjoy being on the pitch with their friends.” l

“We played good for about 29 minutes,” head coach Travis Ohrn said. “We had a three-minute stretch at the end of the third quarter when Olympus took advantage of a few of our mistakes and took control of the game. We played well, and the ball didn’t bounce our way in third quarter. We had a lot of good looks that we usually make. We missed some open threes and layups and had a few turnovers. If the ball bounced our way, the outcome could have been different for us. Give Olympus credit for how they shot the ball and defended. To win on that stage, you have to have a little luck. The luck was on Olympus’ side with some of the breaks they got.”

Down 48-36 heading into the final quarter, Alta’s offense got back on track, scoring 25 points in the final six minutes. But Olympus made some big shots, too, and hit free throws. Alta chipped away at the lead, cutting it down to six in the final 90 seconds, but Olympus held on, denying the Hawks another state title.

Four Alta players hit double figures in scoring. Ace Reiser led the way with 18 points, five assists and three steals. Jaxon Johnson had 15 points and nine rebounds. Dash Reiser contributed 14 points, while Carter Doleac chipped in 19 points and pulled down five rebounds.

“I think the way Olympus played caused us to rush our shots a little,” Ohrn said. “You have to give them credit for how they played. They played with a lot of energy and toughness and made big time shots when it counted. I think we played good too, and it was a great high school basketball game. I wish we could have made a few more easy shots in that third quarter, but that’s part of the game and part of sports. I’m proud of our guys for how they battled and never gave up.”

Despite the disappointing end to the

“Winning and losing is a part of sports and life,” Ohrn said. “I told them to be proud of what they accomplished and built here at Alta. I challenged them to take a moment and look around the arena at how many people were there to watch them and support them. That support is because of the type of people they are on and off the court. People want to associate with them and be a part of their journey because they do things the right way. The final game doesn’t take away from all they accomplished and what they mean to our school, program, and community. They brought so much excitement to our community. People feed off that and it just makes everyone better. They built something special at Alta that will never be taken away from them. Their trophies, accomplishments and banner will be in our school forever.”

Alta loses some talented accomplished seniors in Johnson, Doleac and Reiser along with contributor Carter Goodfellow. It has been a memorable run for Ohrn with this senior class.

“Our guys have established a winning culture here at Alta,” he said. “Our past three senior classes have laid the groundwork for what it takes to be successful. Our younger guys know it takes more than just being a great basketball player to carry on the tradition that has been built.”

Though Alta has to replace a lot of firepower and players that helped pile up a lot of wins, Ohrn is optimistic about the 202425 season and beyond.

“We are super excited about the future of our program and the kids that will continue to honor the legacy of the guys before them,” he said. “Our guys are winners, and they will continue to compete at a very high level. Winning is contagious, and it fuels everyone in our program to do their part and have the success they deserve. Our guys are ready to work and establish their legacy in our program.” l

Gavin Lo and the Alta Hawks are playing in a new region this year. (@jacklophotography)

A long time coming: Alta boys get chance to shine on volleyball court

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

For years, high schools around the state, including Alta, have formed boys volleyball clubs. But the boys have never had the chance to participate on an official team or play for Utah High School Activities Association-recognized state championships.

Until now.

The UHSAA sanctioned boys volleyball, paving the way for the sport to be official and start this spring. Alta head coach Casie Maekawa said the boys are thrilled to belong to the school’s first-ever boys volleyball team.

“Our boys are so excited,” she said. “There are a lot of boys who have been waiting a long time for this to happen. There’s something really special about representing Alta High School and being a part of something greater than themselves. What I love most about coaching this team is their excitement for the game. The kids love to be out here playing for Alta High School. A lot of our starters play club volleyball in the offseason, but it’s exciting to see kids playing with their classmates and being a team in the halls of the school.”

Maekawa said she was worried initially that not many boys would come out for the team when tryouts were held in late winter. However, 60 hopeful players showed up, allowing Maekawa and her staff to put together three teams. She noticed right off the bat that the players had positive attitudes and were looking forward to learning.

“Our coaching staff was stoked about the turnout we had for boys volleyball,” she said.

“I think that this year we’ve got a good bunch of guys. Our guys have a lot to learn, but they are coachable, willing to learn and eager to get better. It’s going to be a fun season.”

In the early part of the season, Alta went 3-5 and won two of its first three Region 6 games. The Hawks opened league play with a 3-0 sweep of Highland on March 14. Following a 3-0 loss at home to Skyline on March 21, Alta defeated East 3-0 on the road on March 26.

“Our team has been really competitive,” Maekawa said. “We’ve played some really exciting games against some really good teams. We learned a lot about our team in the preseason.”

Maekawa doesn’t have a certain number of wins she expects her team to have, nor does she talk about how far she sees this team going in the playoffs. Her objectives are about enjoying the game and for the players to do their best each day in practice and in matches.

“My No. 1 expectation for this team and program is that we have fun and we compete day in and day out,” she said. “That’s what high school sports are all about. It’s fun to compete, and we compete best when we’re having fun.”

The Hawks have some improvements to make, which shouldn’t be a surprise for any team, considering this is the first year for the sport. Maekawa wants to see her team get better with attacking and putting the ball down. Though the Hawks have talented hitters, she is hoping the players grow more confident with their hitting.

There hasn’t been anything wrong the team’s effort so far.

“Our team is competitive, and they love to go out and battle every night,” Maekawa said. “We’ve played a lot of talented teams in the preseason, and we’ve battled with all of them. Every game has been a hard-fought match, and they walk away every night knowing they left it all on the court.”

Though Alta lost five of its first eight matches, only one of those matches was a sweep. The Hawks took two opponents to five sets before falling.

Alta has a good mix of experienced players who have played volleyball as their primary sport for years along with other team members who are new to the sport. Those newcomers, however, are athletic and have shown a lot of promise, Maekawa said.

“This year, the goal is for our team to get better every day,” she said. “One of the most exciting things about boys volleyball is that there are a lot of kids who have played volleyball as their full-time sport and also a lot of athletic kids who have never played volleyball before. In order for this season to be a success, we’re going to have to grow our team and integrate new parts into this team and its chemistry. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

There is no shortage of talented players on the Hawks’ roster. Maekawa loves the play from junior YiKang Li, who plays

the opposite position. Middle blockers Matt McKea and Kaleb Puikkonen, both juniors, are forces on the court. Plus, setter Jameson Biggs, a junior, is a good passer.

“[Li] has been a great attacker for us,” Maekawa said. “[McKea] and [Puikkonen] have done a great job attacking and blocking in the middle. [Biggs] works hard to distribute the ball for us. We’re excited about what we’ve got in the gym.”

Alta competes in Region 6, which has some stiff competition. Though the opposition is formidable, Maekawa welcomes the opportunity of playing these teams.

“We’re super lucky to be playing in Region 6,” she said. “Region 6 is competitive. We get to play some really talented teams and see some really great players. It’s going to be a battle every night, and we’re excited about it.”

Alta faces its six region opponents twice apiece. The final regular-season match is May 7 at Brighton. The first-ever Class 5A state boys volleyball tournament starts May 14. l

Alta softball strives for success on field, away from it

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

Last season, the Alta softball team had some struggles, finishing 4-14 overall. Through six games this season, the team had already won twice, including one of its two region games. It’s the type of improvement head coach Kristin Evans is hoping for in her fourth year at the helm of the team.

But that’s not the only progress she wants to see.

“This year, as always, our team goal is to be better, not in just softball, but the girls to be productive young adults,” Evans said. “We have a yearly motto, and this year it is ‘do better, be better.’ As in every year, this is a learning time. They have to be successful on and off the field, in the classroom and in life. That to us is a successful season if they learn something about life not just the game of softball.”

The Hawks defeated Provo in a rout on March 18, winning 14-0. They also outlasted Skyline in an offensive showdown, 18-17 on March 19. The Hawks amassed 20 hits in the victory. LaVern Toelupe had four RBIs and a double in the contest. Emery Pettitt had two doubles and three RBIs.

“We have seen a lot of great things come from our team,” Evans said. “We had a couple bumps in the road, but they definitely have the fight in them to really push it this year.”

Evans said Alta is a well-rounded group, though she said every season is like a rebounding year.

“Once you get the upperclassman molded the way you would like, there is a new group of

freshmen that you then have to mold,” she said.

So far, Evans likes her pitching group, which consists of three main pitchers—a senior, sophomore and freshman. She said when these three pitchers are on their game, the players usually follow suit.

“This will give us a leg up on most competition, seeing that some schools only have one or maybe two pitchers,” Evans said.

Alta plays each region team twice, concluding with a May 7 game at Highland. The Class 5A state tournament will start May 11 with best-of-three series. Winners advance to the Super Regionals.

Win or lose, Evans is grateful for her job and the chance she gets to work with fine young adults at Alta. She appreciates the opportunity of watching the girls get better on the field and in life.

“I enjoy the girls the most,” she said. “They become like my own children every year. Watching them grow and build their skills over the years has been so exciting to watch. I try to give these girls the most opportunities I physically can. They deserve the world.”

This season, Evans is thankful for the support she and team get from parents. Team parents have done everything from fundraising in order to purchase new uniforms for the girls to making sure the softball field is safe and ready for play.

“It has been a great start so far,” Evans said. l

The Alta boys volleyball team has been excited to play in the school's first year as a sanctioned team.

(Photo courtesy of Casie Maekawa.)

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

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

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

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

This unenforceable law could mean

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

Circling the drain

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

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

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

Then imagine that employee said

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

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

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

Sensing a theme?

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

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

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

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

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