April 2018 | Vol. 4 Iss. 04
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RMR ANNOUNCES THAT 2018 IS ITS FINAL SEASON By Greg James | gregj@mycityjournals.com
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he 2018 summer racing season will be the last at West Valley City’s Rocky Mountain Raceway. The 50-acre property where RMR stands was sold to Freeport West in 2014 and a five-year lease to continue racing operations was negotiated in order for the facility to continue serving racers and fans. That lease will expire at the end of the 2018 season. “We’ve invested a great deal in the racing community and aren’t walking away from that,” Spencer Young Sr. said in a press release. “We will continue to sponsor racers and support racing.” The Young Automotive Group explored different avenues to extend the life of the track. They looked into purchasing new property to build another facility. They also contacted the State of Utah and West Valley City to gauge interest in a public joint venture, but the company ultimately decided to close the track. “Since the venue opened so many memories and lifelong friendships have been created,” RMR General Manager Mike Eames said. “I am proud of the 22 years and historic racing and family memories we’ve made. We invite everyone to come out and celebrate with us during our final season.” The multi-purpose racing facility has many large events scheduled for its final go around. The NHRA sanctioned drag strip, motocross track and super oval schedules are filled with opportunities to experience their “need for speed.” The motocross track opens its season with several events in April. The drag strip will open May 4 and the oval May 5. The drag strip schedule includes its first midnight drags event Friday May 4. Gates open at 7 p.m. and cars will be on track at 9 p.m. This is an opportunity for the fans to race in the safe environment of a track instead of the street. These events are also paired with the Salt City Drifters club racing on the oval. On May 26, the Heritage Funny Cars will be part of May Mad-
The final season at Rocky Mountain Raceway has a jam-packed schedule of big events. (Action Sports Photography)
ness at the track. This event features cars on both the drag strip and oval the same night. The track also reintroduced its widely popular Fox Hunt on June 9, with ladies receiving free admission that day. The quarter-mile track is scheduled to finish its season with the Night of Fire and they expect more than a dozen jet cars Sept. 15. The motocross track has scheduled its Pro Day Challenge with over $10,000 in purse money up for grabs July 20. The event will include downhill mini Jeep races and a slowest rider competition. The oval has scheduled a large winged sprint car event Sept. 1. The Salt City 100 should draw cars from across the western
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United States. They also have penciled in the Clash of the Titans monster truck event for Aug. 11 and 12. They will host the longtime Utah Copper Classic with super modified racing and fireworks Saturday, July 7. The first documented racing in Utah was in 1912 at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Its history has included a track near downtown at the fairgrounds, Bonneville raceway where RMR currently stands, the closed Suntanna raceway in Springville, Utah, Motorsports Park in Tooele and dirt tracks in Delta, Ephriam and Price. A full track schedule and more information can be found on their website www.rmrracing.com l
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Page 2 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ comes to West Valley The West Valley City Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout West Valley City. For information about distribution please email circulation@mycityjournals. com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. For subscriptions please contact: circulation@mycityjournals.com The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.
The West Valley Team CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Scott bryan@mycityjournals.com EDITOR: Travis Barton travis@mycityjournals.com ADVERTISING: 801-254-5974 DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: Ryan Casper ryan.casper@mycityjournals.com 801-671-2034 SALES ASSOCIATES: Melissa Worthen melissa@mycityjournals.com 801-897-5231 Tracy Langer Tracy.l@mycityjournals.com 385-557-1021 Corbett Carrel Corbett@mycityjournals.com 385-557-1016 CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: Brad Casper circulation@mycityjournals.com EDITORIAL & AD DESIGN: Ty Gorton West Valley City Journal 9500 South 500 West Suite 205 Sandy, UT 84070 Phone: 801 254 5974
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ontinuing a 24-year tradition, the Utah Cultural Celebration Center will host two performances of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” put on by the Utah Shakespeare Festival on tour from Cedar City. “Because it’s Utah Shakespeare Festival, we always have a sense of confidence in the quality,” said Susan Klinker of the UCCC. “They slightly stylize the performance and update it appealing and making it understandable to the young people even at the elementary school level.” This is the first year that “The Tempest” has been taken on tour and is part of the Shakespeare-in-the-Schools program and brought in by UCCC’s Artrageous program which brings together students and various visual and creative arts. “We are thrilled that they are hosting us and they have hosted us for many years and we’re grateful for that,” said Michael Bahr, education director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. “It’s really great to have this amazing production with professional actors on their turf.” The touring productions of the Utah Shakespeare Festival began in 2005 and have served over 20,000 students with 70 performances at more than 150 schools and venues in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado and Idaho in that time. Some venues include atrisk and correctional facilities and Navajo Nations communities. Each show takes about two hours to set up and then runs for 75 minutes with a 15-minute discussion between cast and audience before everything is packed up and moves to the next location. When the show is put on at a school, there will often be workshops in stage combat, improvisation and Shakespeare’s text that accompanies the performance. “For many people, this is the first professional production they’ve seen, it might be the first Shakespeare production that they’ve seen and we want them to understand it,” said Bahr. The set is interesting, said Bahr, because while it’s simple with a stripped away feel, there are two scaffolding pieces so that Prospero can stand on a different level looking down on the other actors. “They try to keep simple and consistent to the philosophic approach to Shakespeare plays when they were performed,” said Klinker. The costumes are Shakespearean but meant to clearly convey who is of the island and who is not, and the script, while keeping the language, is condensed for time and ease of understanding. “I think the concept also allows you to imagine and fill in the blank as you watch,” said Bahr. “The reduction allows us to distill and extrapolate those stronger themes. They still are true to the text but they’re told in such a way that the whole family can understand.” A total of seven actors play multiple roles in this version and after the matinee performance will speak to the audience about how and why they became involved, what drew them to Shakespeare and what their characters are like. “We always get a lot of lively feedback,” said Klinker. “The kids usually really love it.”
Thank You
Trent Dahlin (left) as Prospero and Erica Alexandra Carvalho as Miranda in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2018 Shakespeare-in-the-Schools production of “The Tempest.” (Photo /Karl Hugh)
Multiple directors, like Chris Duvall from the University of Utah, are also used for many of the touring shows because, Bahr said, they accomplish several goals: innovative productions, relevant and accessible text and stories relevant to most people in any time period. “I love ‘The Tempest,’” said Bahr. “I think it’s a story of redemption and magic and forgiveness and justice. The school crowds have been commenting on those very themes.” The performances are Monday, April 2 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and are free to the public on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are recommended for the matinee performance because of the high number of school groups. “These stories are still relevant today and we want to make sure that we’re telling these stories tomorrow,” Bahr said. l
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Page 4 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
First robotics competition lets high school students show engineering skills By Keyra Kristoffersen | keyrak@mycityjournals.com
High school students from around the world compete in the Utah Regional First Robotics Competition of 2018. (U of U College of Engineering)
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arch 1 saw 52 teams of high school students from as far away as California, Canada and Chile compete head-to-head in the Utah Regional First Robotics Competition at the Maverick Center in West Valley City. “It’s just amazing how it works and how involved the learning process is that these young people go through,” said Judy Young, chair of the Executive Advisory Board and former executive director of the Utah Technology Council, who helped start the S.T.E.M. Action Center that focuses on bringing science, technology, engineering and math into schools. Young has been excited to be a part of this organization since she retired in 2015 and began as chair in 2017. “I see how it changes these young people’s lives and how it prepares them to work in our workforce,” said Young. First Utah with the First Lego League Jr., First Lego League and First Tech Challenge work with students K-8 grade and then middle and high school levels to help train them in programming and building robots using stateof-the-art technology provided by Lego since 1989. Students are given challenges that their
robots must complete that are specific to the age groups. Each year, the First Lego League teams are asked to create a solution for a problem common to areas of the world—this year it was water shortage. They’re given top-of-theline software and cutting-edge technology so that they are learning current skills. “Some of these things haven’t even been sold that much in the marketplace, they’re that new,” said Young, “So that they’re ready to go into the workforce and not outdated.” At times, these solutions have been patented and picked up by universities to use. Over the course of their time in the various levels of FLL Jr, FLL, FTC and FRC, students are taught not only computer science, programming and robotics, but welding, CAD, 3D printing and how to work in a professional atmosphere as a team and functioning business. They have to come up with strategies, fundraising, budgeting and other entrepreneurial necessities to enter the workforce. Young has been pleased with the confidence that being a part of the program
has instilled in these students and knows that thanks to cooperative, out-of-the-box thinking, many of them are ready to begin professional careers in their passions. “They’re not intimidated and they’re not afraid,” said Young, “They think that they can conquer the world and isn’t that a wonderful way to set our kids up to go to work.” The First Utah Regional Robotics Competition is co-sponsored by the University of Utah’s College of Engineering, which got involved in 2009 when Richard Anderson, regional director, got grant funding and started the partnership. Teams from all over spent three days showing off their robots and following the theme, “First Power Up” a combination of robotics and video games, while gaining points for tasks performed. On the second day of competition, the top eight teams pick two other teams, who they have scouts in the stands watching, to be in their alliance for the finals. A team from Provo High School won the Rookie award which guarantees them a spot to the national competition in Houston later this year. The team of about 17 members,
began when a couple of First alums were in town at BYU and separately approached the new principal of Provo High. A 501(c)(3) was formed and with funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation, the team got started getting ready for the FRC. Now they’re working to raise funds for the trip to Texas. “They’re determined that they’re going,” said Young. West Valley City had their own teams representing, such as the team from Hunter High, coached by Scott Watson. “He does a wonderful job with those kids,” said Young, “He’s very patient and teaches them wonderful things.” While most states have all of their teams sponsored through one university, Utah has it spread between the University of Utah who oversees the FRC program, and Weber State, who oversees the FLL Jr., FLL, and FTC programs. “We work together as a team promoting all four teams,” said Young, “We are very proud of that and very appreciative of those two universities for the outstanding job that they are doing.” l
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Page 6 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
Jacobs geometrical road to West Valley City Police Chief By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com
Colleen Jacobs was named the first female police chief for West Valley City. She has worked with the police department since her field training. (West Valley City)
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eometry and a substitute teacher at Tooele High. Who knew that combination would be Colleen Jacobs’ launching pad into law enforcement? She was in high school and, in typical teenage fashion, was complaining with her classmates about why they needed to learn geometry. When would the Pythagorean theorem be necessary in real life? That’s when the substitute teacher, a former police officer, changed Jacobs’ life forever. “He starts throwing traffic accidents up on the board and how geometry plays into traffic accident investigation, and I was hooked,” Jacobs recalled. That initial hook not only led to a criminal justice degree at Weber State and 21 years working with West Valley City Police, but also to her being named West Valley City’s Police Chief. “This is such an honor and a privilege for me to be here,” Jacobs said. “I am very excited to lead this organization into the future.” Jacobs served as interim chief for almost six months before being named chief at the end of February. This came after a three-month process, City Manager Wayne Pyle said, of evaluating candidates both nationally and locally. He said the final three candidates consisted of Jacobs, one from out of town and one from out of state. While the previously appointed chief, Lee Russo, was an outsider from Kentucky, Jacobs has been with the department her entire career working in patrol, investigations, narcotics, grants, internal affairs and as deputy chief. Jacobs enjoyed all aspects of her career, from working with 911 callers “to help mitigate this person’s probably worst experience of their life” to the rewarding experience of interacting with the public in community meetings. Every police chief appointment is different depending the current criteria and priorities, Pyle said, this time he wanted someone for the long term. Pyle, who went on a ride-a-long with Jacobs in 1998, felt like Jacobs was the right recommendation for the city council’s approval. “I remember being impressed even back then as to how brave an officer and how skilled and
confident she was, and so I’m very excited and happy to have her in this position,” he said. Pyle, who has worked with multiple police chiefs, received contact from members of the police department voicing their support and desire to have Jacobs as chief. He said that had never happened before. “The support the department has shown has been very humbling,” Jacobs said. “I’m really a very private and reserved person and to have this much support has just been truly very humbling.” Other determining factors, Pyle said, was Jacobs’ flexibility, potential and fit with the city’s overall vision. “I saw in her the development potential plus the willingness to use the whole executive staff as a team,” Pyle said. Having been here longer than many staff within the city and her department has already made for a smooth transition. “It’s nice not coming into this as a stranger because it already feels like home and now it’s just stepping into that leadership role,” Jacobs said. A management position that she said is a “whole other level” with its fast pace and broad range of topics that need addressing. “It has truly been like drinking from a fire hose,” she said of her months as interim chief. And she’s already be leaving an impression. Mayor Ron Bigleow said he’s already heard encouraging things from residents. One involved a cleaned-up drug house where the investigation had been dragging. “We’ve already seen some positive results which we’re happy about,” he said. Jacobs has been active since taking over as interim chief. In October, she authorized the purchase of new guns for the department after discovering a defect in the old ones. Five new Harleys were approved for purchase to strengthen the motor brigade. Prior to taking over as chief, Jacobs was instrumental in the department becoming the only nationally accredited police agency in Utah with CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies). “The transparency, the accountability, we’re good with that because we’re doing things right and we’re doing them the best we can,” she said. Jacobs is excited for what’s to come like the upcoming mental health justice court, a diversionary technique meant to provide individuals services rather than simply jail time. But her top priority is officer retention. “Once we have good officers and have them trained, we want to keep them.” She has 35 retention ideas. Some have price tags while others are increasing an officer’s value or improving the work environment. “The more someone feels valued, the more they’re willing to want to come to work,” she said. Jacobs had knee surgery in February to repair a torn ACL, but she is anxious to return to what hooked her in high school geometry and has felt natural ever since: good police work. l
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April 2018 | Page 7
WestValleyJ ournal.com
City’s recycling plans to change this summer By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com “There’s basically no market for those right now,” he said. “If we were to collect them they would be going straight to the landfill.” In the past Willardson said they encouraged people to recycle. Now their focus is the quality of the recycling stream. Choosing Ace also means supporting the private sector, Willardson said. “(Ace is) a business in our city and pays taxes in our city.” Mayor Ron Bigelow told Willardson every resident needs to be informed regarding this upcoming change. Willardson suggested doing so through bills sent to residents. “This will go a long way to eliminating l contaminants,” said the mayor.
Water bottles and milk jugs will be among the recyclable items still accepted once the city’s new sanitation contract begins July 1. (Pixabay)
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est Valley’s new sanitation contract will save the city almost $50,000, but also limit the amount of accepted recyclable materials, said Russ Willardson, the city’s public works director. The West Valley City Council voted unanimously to award the contract to Ace Recycling and Disposal, effective July 1, 2018. The contract agreement will run for six years with possible extensions for two one-year terms. Waste Management, the city’s current waste contractor, chose not to submit a proposal. Ace’s proposal includes disposing of the waste by transferring it to the Intermountain Regional landfill in Utah County. This saves the city approximately $48,000 annually according to city documents. “I think it’s a good economic decision to take advantage of the opportunity to use the other landfill,” Willardson told the city council. For the past 19 years, the city’s disposal went to Salt Lake Valley. With China no longer accepting recycling due to the quantity of contaminated materials, recycling markets are changing dramatically, Willardson said, and fees are going up. West Valley now won’t benefit from additional sale of recyclables. As part of the new contract, Ace will only accept certain plastics. Eliminated are plastics 3-7 while 1 and 2 are still accepted. Those numbers are inside the triangle of arrows found on plastic materials. Each number indicates what kind of plastic was used to manufacture the item. The number inside the arrows tells which plastics are recyclable and which are not. Among the plastics (1 and 2) still accepted are water bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs and detergent and oil bottles. Those not accepted (3-7) include cooking oil bottles, plastic food wrapping, plastic grocery bags, margarine and yogurt containers, straws, packing tape, egg cartons and cottage cheese tubs. Willardson said plastics 3-7 make up only 2 percent of their total recycle stream collected right now.
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Page 8 | April 2018
Nature walk builds interest in kestrel population study
West Valley City Journal
By Keyra Kristoffersen | keyrak@mycityjournals.com
An American kestrel looks out from a HawkWatch International nestbox. (Ron Dudley)
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n Feb 24, amid snow and freezing temperatures, a group of 16 were led on a field trip around the Redwood Nature Area by a mix of HawkWatch International, TreeUtah, and Seven Canyons Trust experts. “HawkWatch International is about to launch our American
kestrel study season so we thought it was a good opportunity for us to lead a field trip and try and raise awareness,” said Joseph Dane, the development and marketing director of HawkWatch International, a non-profit that works to protect raptors through scientific research and public education. HawkWatch International is about to launch their American kestrel study season and hoped to entice volunteers to help gather information about kestrel breeding habits in the area. In April of 2017, HawkWatch partnered with TreeUtah and the Seven Canyons Trust to do a tree planting and restoration project on the east side of the Jordan River at the Redwood Nature Area which is a protected wetland that the county set aside where the Millcreek joins the Jordan River. Efforts to try and restore parts that have been degraded along there have begun and a loop trail with interpretive signs have been placed for visitors to learn about the species of flora and fauna that they’ll see, as well as an outdoor classroom that TreeUtah uses for their summer nature camps. “Since all three of us have projects in the area, we thought it was a good opportunity to come together and talk to the public about what our organizations do,” said Arly Landry of TreeUtah. “It’s a little urban wildlife refuge, definitely underappreciated and not well known.” The wetlands are home to cottonwood trees and the invasive Russian olive trees as well as rodents, and a host of raptors that include red-tailed hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper’s hawks and several species of owls. The American kestrel, a small, colorful falcon species also makes its home there and HawkWatch International put up four nesting boxes for them four years ago. The kestrel has been in decline over the last several decades and the HawkWatch and other birding groups have been trying to find out why by conducting a
study over the last five years and placing around 400 nesting boxes in various areas along the Wasatch Front. Currently, they have around 50 volunteers who monitor these boxes several times a month in order to gather data on breeding patterns, predation, food sources, invasive species and competition with other birds. “That information is helping determine if decline is due to breeding issues and season,” said Dane. HawkWatch is also planning to broaden their research to include looking at problems stemming from migration and wintering time. “Like most all birds in the wild, climate change, habitat loss and degradation are a big impact and probably a key influence behind their decline,” Dane said. “The whole point of the project is to figure out why so we can then start working with state or federal wildlife officials, whoever we have to work with to put conservation plans into place.” Kestrels play an important role in the ecosystem, said Dane, because they devour a lot of mice and voles and is one of the only raptors that can hover hunt—fly in one place as they search the ground for food. “They’re a very charismatic bird, very colorful, people really like seeing them outside,” said Dane. The visiting group—made up of families, college students, and an environmental science teacher—listened to experts from TreeUtah speak about their tree planting efforts in the community and Seven Canyons Trust speak about restoration projects at the Jordan River and Millcreek Confluence. All were treated to the sight of a few red-tailed hawks and one kestrel that just as they were leaving, began hover hunting just 50 feet in front of them. “Utah’s a great state for raptors and bird life,” said Dane. l
April 2018 | Page 9
WestValleyJ ournal.com
Students from Entheos Academy win national service learning excellence award By Jennifer Gardiner | j.gardiner@mycityjournals.com
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youth group from the Entheos Academy in Kearns won The National Youth Leadership Council’s 2018 Youth Leadership for ServiceLearning Excellence Award for developing an engineering curriculum called “The Incredible Machine.” The award recognizes service-learning programs and projects that demonstrate outstanding youth leadership in identifying an authentic community need, planning the service, and putting that plan into action. Two Entheos Academy students, Cassandra Ivie and Hala Louvier, led the team of about 20 students in developing a curriculum designed to train others to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math skills) to students in rural Utah. “Winning this award is an amazing opportunity for The Incredible Machine. We have put in so much work to develop this. Seeing it get national attention is gratifying,” Hala said. “My goal for my future is to work in 4-H outside of Utah, to take the opportunities I’ve had here and expand them to youth in other states. Making The Incredible Machine is the first way I’ve been able to meet this goal, to share the opportunities that I have had to participate in STEM activities with others.” Ever since their early fascination with engineering, the duo has planned and taught STEM classes to other youths. Their awareness of rural needs grew as they became 4-H Ambassadors and traveled the state teaching leadership skills. The curriculum, which is designed for elementary and middle school students led by teens or teachers with limited engineering experience, features chemical, mechanical, civil, electrical, software engineering, and culminates in a project that uses these approaches to develop an “incredible” Rube Goldberg-like machine. “I have always been interested in science, engineering and programming,” Cassandra said. “I’m excited to be able to use my skills and interests to reach out to others. In this technology age, STEM skills are critical for youth to learn for their future careers. I’m grateful that I can help serve in such an important aspect. We thought that if we were able to create something that was all inclusive, it would really improve the quality of classes and make STEM even more accessible.”
NYLC CEO Amy Meuers said in order for students to grow into civically informed and engaged citizens they must have the opportunity to work outside the classroom and that service learning connects communities and classrooms, inspiring students to make positive contributions to the world. Hala and Cassandra started teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes at Entheos and in the community while they were middle school students at Entheos Academy. In order to apply for state 4-H ambassadors they needed to do a 30-hour service project and decided to create the Incredible Machine as that project. The Incredible Machine is a portable engineering club that can be checked out by community groups throughout Utah through 4-H to expand youths access to STEM, particularly in rural and low-income areas, and is made in a way that it can be led by people without engineering experience. The girls wrote curriculum for six lessons and put together a box that includes needed materials. It has been used by Entheos to teach discovery classes and after school clubs, for 4-H groups and outreach, and by a STEM club in Jordan School District. To expand the reach of the Incredible Machine, they recruited a team of other teens to help train leaders in teaching and expanding the use of the Incredible Machine. As the girls go to college next year, a new group of students will be taking over the lead of the training team, including Seth Ivie, a 7th grader at Entheos, who will also be presenting at the National Service Learning presentation. “I’ve taught STEM activities in small groups before, but never for a big group of people, Seth said. “I am nervous about standing up there with Hala and Cassey, but am excited to go on my first plane ride.” Hala and Cassandra also wrote a business model for The Incredible Machine that was used in an International DECA competition in Anaheim last year, where they placed in the top 10. As part of the award, the girls will be presenting at the National Service Learning Conference in March and will have their own workshop at the conference and be able to sit on an awards panel. l
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Page 10 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
Students join nationwide protest, many focus on kindness
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By Julie Slama, Justin Adams, Lori Gillespie and Travis Barton
cross the country students made their voices heard on March 14, one month after the school shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school. They honored the 17 victims with tearful moments of silence, they protested gun laws and pledged kindness to their peers. Salt Lake County was no different as schools around the valley participated with walkouts and “walk ups.” Murray “I’m scared at school and I hear that from my friends as well,” said Academy of Math, Engineering and Science junior Grace Wason. “I don’t think fear should be in a place of learning.” About 150 students, most wearing black in mourning, lined 1300 East near the Murray school. They held signs showing each victim and chanted, “Books not bullets; no more silence. We are change.” During the walkout, Grace recited names of each victim, then added: “These are only 17 of the 75-plus students we are mourning today. We do this in solidarity not only with lost victims, but also their mourning friends and families. This has gone too far.” Grace participated in a routine school lockdown earlier in the week. “It was daunting,” she said. “I was working on the posters and saw them on my desk as I hid in the corner and thought, this is the exact thing those Florida students went through only they had someone with a gun come in their door.” Students, many who planned to take part in the “March for Our Lives” rally at the Capitol March 24, also signed up to vote as leaders organized voting registration as well as planned to hold a letter-writing campaign to Congress. Murray Board of Education Vice President Kami Anderson said Murray School District allowed students from Murray High, Hillcrest Junior High and Riverview Junior High the opportunity to walkout. “As a school district, we wanted to facilitate the conversation between students and parents about what the walkout means and why or why not participate and provide a safe place for them,” she said. “We need to allow students to make the choices for themselves.” Murray High student body president Kate Spackman said student government ushered the student-organized walkout to the school plaza, which had about 250 students participate. “Some students stood up and spoke out; we paid our respects to the victims,” Kate said. “I felt the kids who walked out for the right reasons supported the victims and it was awesome. For the kids who walked out to miss school, I hope they realize what this is all about and the importance of it.” Kate and other student government leaders organized “17 days of kindness of positivity.” Suggestions include to make
a new friend, smile at 17 people, post a picture on social media “NeverAgain” in support and write to Gov. Gary Herbert and the legislature. “We wanted to do something that will make a difference immediately in kids’ lives,” she said. Cottonwood Heights Brighton student government also will hold a kindness campaign to create a more welcoming environment, said Principal Tom Sherwood after about 500 students participated in the student-led walkout. “I believe if students want to make a statement about changes to protest future lives, they have a right,” he said. “Students for generations have used civil disobedience in the community or country to stand up for what they believe is not right — and they still do.” Students, who gathered in the football stand, were silent for 17 minutes as the names of victims were held up and read out loud. Student leaders also urged students to use their voice — “we can’t let kids our age die in vain,” to vote and to write to their representatives. Afterward, two juniors — Evelyn Compagno and Lilly Olpin — lingered. “I’m so glad we raised awareness for such a horrible thing,” said Evelyn, adding that she had friends who survived the Las Vegas shooting. “Those kids were murdered for no reason.” The future of the country is being impacted as well, Lilly said. “You never know the potential those children had. They could have been someone great, like the next Isaac Newton,” she said. Community members and Jim and Bonnie Despain came with their signs supporting the students. Jim Despain, who once hunted rabbits, said that he has wanted better gun control for years. Bonnie is a retired Ridgecrest Elementary schoolteacher and remembers faculty discussing the best course of action after the Columbine and Sandy Hook shootings. “It’s taking the kids across the nation to say enough and get the movement going on this,” she said. Utah State Rep. Marie Poulson, who taught English in the south end of the valley, agreed and supported students who participated. “I’m so proud of the courage, how they came out and spoke up,” she said. “It’s taking our young people’s activism to come out to remind us to look at it and make changes. Kids should have the right to feel safe at school.” Poulson said she recalled how the Columbine shooting terrorized both students and teachers and puzzled them about what they could do to make schools safer. Since then, she said phones and panic buttons have been installed in classrooms. “And we’re still discussing it now, but
Lydia Timms and other student leaders at Churchill Jr. High speak about the need for more gun control as well as more kindness between students. (Justin Adams/City Journals)
I’m hoping these students caught the attention of other officials and have embarrassed them to do more,” Poulson said. “We don’t want schools to become an armed camp, but we want our students to be safe. We’ve called a school safety commission and if they can find a way to make a difference, we’ll call a special session (at the legislature) and I hope they do.” Kearns Kearns Jr. High focused its energies on what principal Scott Bell hoped would be a “positive direction” rather than getting into the political aspect. The school’s “walk up” concentrated its attention on supporting school kindness and safety, standing united against school violence and honoring the 17 Parkland shooting victims. “My hope was there would be a uniting activity for us as a school and I think it exceeded my hopes. It really turned out just awesome,” Bell said. Before exiting the school, a studentmade video was played with students requesting those watching to stand against school violence and pledge to do 17 acts of kindness. On the lawn outside, students and faculty held a moment of silence for two minutes, 14 seconds (the date of the tragedy 2/14). Once students returned to class they were given a KJH Cares card with 14 suggested acts of kindness and three blank lines for them to come up their own ideas. “We’re giving a challenge to our students over the next month to do 17 acts of kindness for others and to use the #KJHCares to share their acts of kindness on social media,” Bell said. Bell was impressed with his students saying they struck the right tone of respect and solemnity. “One thing I didn’t count on was the level of emotion it had for some students,” he said. “We had some of our students and staff be a little emotional about it. There was a real connection with what we were doing.”
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April 2018 | Page 11
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Pirates qualify for boys state tournament
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he Cyprus boys basketball team was challenged this season to take accountability on and off the court. “I had no doubt in my mind that this team would take the right steps to be successful,” Pirates head coach Tre Smith said. “The kids were challenged all year to work for everything. I was impressed with their competitive edge.” The team took initiative and behind the leadership of their five seniors they improved their grades and win- loss record. They achieved a team-wide 3.4 grade point average and won 14 games overall. The Utah High School Activities Association moved Cyprus to the 6A classification and placed them in Region 2 with their crosstown rivals Granger, Hunter and Kearns. “This is a great group of young men. Everything we did we wanted to do in the right way. I love to win and be competitive, but I think our role is bigger than basketball,” Smith said. The Pirates 14-10 record this season was a vast improvement from last year’s 5-18 record. They finished third in Region 2 and qualified for the 6A state tournament. A signature victory of the season came against Kearns Jan. 19. Trailing 41-34 at the half the Pirates outscored the Cougars down the stretch. Skyler Case hit free throws with seconds remaining to secure the 72-70 victory; Josh Amasio scored 26 and Alex Foster 21. Amasio led the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game, but four Pirates averaged scoring in double figures. Amasio, Tayven Aloi (10.5 ppg), Alex Foster (11.1) and Case (10.1). In the first round of the state tournament they lost to Layton 69-51. Amasio had 12 points and Case 10 in the loss at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center. It was the Pirates first ap-
By Greg James | gregj@mycityjournals.com pearance in the tournament in eight years. “I was happy with our team and growth this season. We will have a great off season of development. I think the most important thing is skill development in the summer. That is my main focus, but I leave it to my players to get in the gym on their own time,” Smith said. Next season the Pirates will rely on the size and athleticism of several players that earned playing time this year. Aloi
is the highest scoring returner, but 6-foot-6 sophomore Noah Burbidge along with the 5-foot-9 guard Logan Hendrickson and sophomore Jordan Orozco could anchor an experienced Pirate team. “Our motto this year was ‘culture matters.’ Everything we did we wanted to do it in the right way,” Smith said. “They all set the expectations and met them. They understand that if I can’t trust them in the classroom I can’t trust them on the court.” l
Tre Smith, the Cyprus boys basketball coach, guided the Pirates to a return appearance in the state tournament. (Cyprus basketball)
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Page 12 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
CycleAbility teaches special needs students to ride a bike By Greg James | gregj@mycityjournals.com
CycleAbility riders are congratulated for their accomplishments with awards and smiles. (Rachel Warner/CycleAbility)
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lijah Palmer had a desire to ride his twowheeled bike with his high school bicycling team. As a special needs student he had never had that opportunity. His parents, Draper residents Steven and Sally Palmer set out and organized the first week-long camp to help other special needs students enjoy the experience of riding a bike. In its fourth year, CycleAbility has again partnered with iCanShine, a nonprofit with specialized bikes, to host the annual Cyclpoolaza June 25–29 at Summit Academy High School in Bluffdale. “Elijah wanted to race in the high school league,” CycleAbility director Rachel Warner said. “He has autism and did not know how to ride a bike. With his family and the Utah High School Mountain Bike League (UHSCL) in 2015 they started the Elevate Program with an adapted course in conjunction with the high school races.” Learning to ride a bike is a life-improving experience, but helping someone can be even more life changing. Teaching a child without a disability can be difficult and working with children with disabilities is a challenge, but CycleAbility has found a way to bridge the gap to adaptive cycling. “We have kids with coordination challenges, anxiety, autism, Down syndrome and behavioral issues. It is our fourth year and we take 40 kids every year. We need several volunteers to help us,” Warner said. Each rider is allocated at least two spotters that walk and run alongside as well as offer moral support and help. The bikes are specialized roller bikes that teach balance gradually rather than a normal two-wheeled bike. Other volunteer positions include registration help, photographers, videographers and people to help with setup and cleanup. “Each rider works with his spotters during 75-minute sessions each day. They start in the gym and graduate to a tandem bike with a staff member and then hopefully graduate to their own personal
two-wheel bike outside in the parking lot,” Warner said. The UHSCL was organized in 2011 and is an affiliate league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association for riders grades 7–12. CycleAbility accepts 40 riders ages 8–18 in their week-long camp and the cost is $150. “It is a seamless next step for our riders when they get old enough to start racing with the league in the Elevate program,” Warner said. “Elijah was team manager and the kids loved working with him. Many of the high school kids come and volunteer during our week camp. The families are very supportive.” Corner Canyon, Fremont, Summit Academy and Alta high schools have been supporters of the program. They have had riders included in the camp and have worked as volunteers. Elijah graduated from high school last June. He partipated in the mountain biking league riding a full course. As he finished his last race the announcers asked him how he had done and he said jubilantly, “I won.” “This program helps kids overcome challenges that they never thought they would be able to. It is empowering them into the normative world. We have about an 85 percent success rate,” Warner said. CycleAbility has several donors that help with costs of equipment, sponsor riders and space rental including Coldwell Banker, Bountiful Bicycle, DNA Cycling and the Autism Council of Utah. “Learning to ride a bike gives these kids a sense of freedom and independence. One of our parents told me their son loves his bike so much, but every once in a while they find him riding to the grocery store down the street,” Warner said. “The kids ride away with big smiles on their faces and our volunteers come away with lasting memories as well.” If you are interested in the program or would like more information about volunteering, visit www.cycleability.org l
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April 2018 | Page 13
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Oquirrh Mountaineers hockey team wins state By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com
Oquirrh Mountaineers hockey players Jackson Bybee, Ian Murray, Piper van der Sluys, Giovanni Mammano, Christopher Panek, Kenyon Johnson, Jeffrey Kain and Jackson Strelow were key players in the team’s Utah High School Hockey Division 2 Independent State Championship, which they won by defeating Southern Utah 10-1 Feb. 21. (Photo/Sharon Kain)
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t’s not how you start, but how you finish. The Oquirrh Mountaineers hockey team, made up of boy and girl players from various high schools, had a fourth-place showing in their regular season in Division 2 of Utah high school hockey before heading into the state playoffs. Head coach Moe van der Sluys said his team was playing extremely well and were looking to “make a deep run for the playoffs” and that they did, winning the Division 2 Independent State Championship with a win over Southern Utah 10-1 Feb. 21. “It was an amazing feeling, especially since it’s the first time in 11 years of coaching high school hockey for me, but, more
importantly, to see the players and their reactions at the end of the game was priceless,” van der Sluys said. “Hockey is one of the longest seasons in high school sports. We started practicing in August so to have it culminate this way was amazing.” During the state tournament, Oquirrh defeated Southern Utah 5-1 Feb. 10 and then UCI-South 5-4 Feb. 12 in the semifinals matchup to reach the final game. “Because we are an independent team, it is always difficult to blend the different mentalities together and have the players bond quickly,” van der Sluys said. “This team had an influx of new players, but it was amazing how quickly they came together and relied on each other early on. They really acted and played as a team, which is what you need to take it to this level. Of course, we had some standout players but it does take the entire roster to win.” Sophomore All-State player Ian Murray from Juan Diego Catholic High School led the state with 41 goals while senior captain Christopher Panek, an Academic All-Star from JDCHS who scored 24 goals this season, was a “game changer as well,” according to van der Sluys. “When put together on a line, they were unstoppable,” van der Sluys said. Senior assistant captain Jeffrey Kain, an All-State player and Academic All-Star who is also from JDCHS, was credited by van der Sluys as their “smartest player” and for his “amazing” defensive contributions, while senior goalie Joey Combs, an Academic AllStar from Hunter High, was “solid all year.” Also on the 2017–18 state title team were senior All-State player and Academic All-Star Jackson Bybee from JDCHS, AllState players Reagan Tolley (Taylorsville High) and Dylan Burton
(Cyprus High), along with other Academic All-Stars Piper van der Sluys, Jackson Strelow and Giovanni Mammano (JDCHS), Sarah Mason and Jared Wood (Hunter High), Austin Mendenhall and Ryan Wood (Bennion Junior High). Other players on the squad were David Broadhead, Ethan Broadhead, Thomas Christensen, Ian Frederick, Jackson Gordon, Jeade’en Haygood, Casey Horne, Kenyon Johnson, Garrette Moore, Owen Peterson, Tristan Schetzel, Jonathan Schild, Samuel Schild, Ryan Weed and Jared Wood. The team had six players participate the league’s all-star game. The team was also recognized by the West Valley City Council for their championship. “What can I say, but I’m so proud of all the work these boys and girls put into the sport and the team,” van der Sluys said. “The cost to practice is $170 an hour so we don’t have as many opportunities to practice as other sports so players have to go on their own to drop-in hockey sessions and open skates. You can definitely tell those that put in the extra work. I’m just very proud of the coaches, trustee, parents and players for what was accomplished this year.” Van der Sluys, who was named the division’s coach of the year, was assisted by Mike Dykman and Kory Palmer on the coaching staff with Dana Combs as team trustee. “Hockey is a physical sport and it’s unlike any other in high school sports,” van der Sluys said, also noting the four girls on his squad — Piper van der Sluys, Tolley, Terrill and Mason — “who play and hang tough.” “We look to the future with our young players who will be l making an impact for years to come.”
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Page 14 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
Shot clock or no shot clock? That’s the ongoing question By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com
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he high school basketball seasons may have ended, but the discussion about whether or not to have a shot clock (a timer designed to increase the game’s pace and scoring) continues. Eight states – California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington – have employed the use of a 30- or 35-second shot clock while other states are moving towards the idea, including Wisconsin, which is slated to have a shot clock for the 2019-2020 season. Many coaches around Utah seem to be in favor of the shot clock, according to Joe Ogelsby, Utah High School Activities Association assistant director and director of Basketball Operations. One of those coaches is Corner Canyon High girls basketball coach Jeramy Acker who said, “We not only need it, we as coaches are wanting it. Every level of basketball has a shot clock. We are really doing a serious disservice to the student-athlete and really inhibiting the game by not having a shot clock.” Acker points out that there are more 20-point scorers in the state than ever before, indicative to him of the “different style of basketball that they are wanting.” “The game is about playing with pace and tempo which typically has you scoring within 15 to 20 seconds,” he said. “It seems that the teams that struggle offensively employ the stall tactics and try to control possessions.” The coach of the 5A Chargers program in Draper said he was “bitten by stalling” earlier in his coaching career. “What I’ve found since is that wins and losses comes and go, but what is more important to me is, ‘Am I helping my player to develop to the next level?’ Stalling doesn’t help me do that,” he said. Bryce Valley boys basketball coach Gary Syrett said that speaking for his 1A program, “We would like it,” he said. “It’s a fun type of basketball. Even though stalling can be effective at times – and we’ve taken some minutes off the clock at times – I still like basketball to be played up and down and most of the kids do too.” Syrett said his staff and school administrators have discussed the shot clock and recognize the cost, but are still in favor of moving that way. Bruce Bean, principal of 3A Carbon High in Price who was a basketball coach for 13 years, also said he would welcome a shot clock. “In my coaching style, we better get a good shot off before we turn the ball over. That lends itself to needing to move the
ball quickly towards the basket,” he said. “If we are supposed to prepare our kids for the next level, they need to be familiar with what’s going on. I don’t think it’s going to bother the game.” “Change is inevitable,” Bean said. “I’m old enough to remember when the threepoint line came in and we had to adjust to that. I remember when we went from two officials to three and at first everyone was asking, ‘Why do we need this?’ and now it seems like no one is arguing that point anymore.” Tom Sherwood, Brighton High’s principal, feels a shot clock would positively impact the game in the state. “We’ve discussed it several times and as basketball evolves, it’s worth revisiting the issue,” he said. When Brighton’s 5A boys basketball team played in the Under Armour Holiday Classic in California over the Christmas break this past season, they used a shot clock and defeated nationally-ranked teams from Torrey Pines (California) and Oak Christian (California). “The shot clock was good for us in the tournament and I think we thrived with it,” Sherwood said. “I think it encourages kids to be more aggressive offensively and be less hesitant to take open shots when you’re on a clock.” Former NBA coach Barry Hecker called the shot clock a “double-edged sword,” saying that it hurts struggling or average teams while it favors better teams. He said that while he was coaching at Westminster, his squad, who was picked to finish last in the conference, ran “four corners” to spread the ball around offensively and found themselves at the top of the division much of the season. “If we would have had a shot clock, we would have got our butts spanked,” he said. Hecker also noted that a shot clock would appeal to spectators and would get those on the court ready for the use of the shot clock in college. So, where does the UHSAA sit on the issue of bringing a shot clock to the state? Oglesby from UHSAA said the shot clock topic has been brought up over the years and their organization has given – and continues to give – the subject extensive time, research, thought and discussion. “Our organization is completely membership-driven which drives a rules process and feasibility of things while being risk adverse,” Oglesby said. “We have to do not just what is in the best interest of segments of student-athletes; we have to safeguard to ensure that decisions made are done with the best interest for everyone.
We have to be concerned with equity.” Oglesby said that the UHSAA is “not negligent with knowing” about how coaches and administrators feel about the shot clock issue, but that there are “fundamental issues that we need to answer,” that have received the support of many coaches around the state, while not being able to “get a lot of support from athletic directors and principals,” according to Oglesby. The two main points, he said, are financing the acquisition and maintenance of shot clocks and staffing the running of the shot clocks during games. Estimations on shot clocks vary depending on the type of scoreboards schools already can range in the thousands of dollars. A shot clock operator is simply “one more position to pay for,” said Oglesby. “Several larger classifications want to just do it,” he said. “Things are always moving and we are not wanting to make any quick changes. It’s going to take a long time to get through the process.” The National Federation of State High School Associations does not allow for the use of a shot clock, so the states that do have them are not allowed representation on the Rules Committee within the organization. In an article, “Shot Clock in High School Basketball – the Debate Continues” by Mike Dyer from Feb. 5, 2015, the NFHS Director of Sports and Officials Education Theresia Wynns said that the NFHS stance on the shot clock is that the high school game does not need the shot clock. It is in good shape as it is. Their summary: 1) A shot clock takes away strategy from some coaches to slow the ball down to match up to the opponent. 2) Some committee members are opposed to “state adoption” because everyone should be playing the same game. 3) Education-based basketball does not warrant that student-athletes and coaches play to entertain the public. Carbon High’s Bean said that there are valid points of financing that he would have to consider being a school from a rural area and he understands the equity part of the shot clock discussion. Brighton High’s Sherwood also said he can see both sides of the shot clock issue and the costs associated with a change, but he suggested a pilot program within the 5A or 6A ranks to see the results. “The girls may not be ready for the shot clock, but the boys might be,” he said. “Who knows who’s ready if we don’t try it?” And so, the discussion continues… l
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April 2018 | Page 15
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Page 16 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
“To Strengthen and Promote the Shared Interests of the Business Community” Representing the Business Voice in West Valley City, Taylorsville & Kearns Areas Contact Information: Barbara S. Riddle, CMP
To invest in your organization and community, invest in ChamberWest!
801-977-8755 barbara@chamberwest.org
The Why of ChamberWest CATALYST for business growth CONVENER of leads and influencers CHAMPION for a stronger community
UPCOMING EVENTS PiNG (Professionals Networking Group) Meets weekly on Wednesdays
ChamberWest Welcomes: • West Valley Library • 1 Source Business Solutions • Red Cross
Renewing Members
April 5 – Legislative Affairs
• Hill Chiropractic Clinic • Key Bank Taylorsville
April 6 – Grizzlies ChamberWest Night April 10 – Spring into Success Conference April 12 – Leadership Institute Session April 26 – ChamberWest Luncheon
• Security Service Federal Credit Union • Valley Fair Mall • West Valley City • Lyle F. Braithwaite CPA • Utah Hotel & Lodging Association
For more information or to register for an event, call 801-977-8755 or visit www.ChamberWest.com
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• Better Business Bureau • Hometown Values Magazine • Utah Cultural Celebration Center • Valley View Memorial Park & Funeral Home
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Safe Driving Habits Spring is upon us and with warmer temperatures and (hopefully) blue skies on the horizon, drivers can’t blame slick roads or blinding flurries for their faulty driving anymore. Driving safely requires good driving habits. Habits. Not occasionally safe maneuvers. The following are some prudent practices to implement in your daily travels. Blinkers and blind spots Driving 101. If you plan on changing lanes, let others in on your secret. Everyone will appreciate it. Others want to know what you are planning. Likewise, if you see a blinker come on indicating your lane is that car’s desired destination, let it in. This isn’t the Daytona 500. We are not racing for $19 million. It is common courtesy, if we want people to use their blinkers, then we should reward them for doing so. Remember the blinker doesn’t automatically assume safe passage to the next lane. And while your car’s sensors in the rearview mirrors are helpful, they are not omniscient. Check your blind spot with your own eyes. There’s a reason it’s called a “blind” spot. Tire, pressure This one is almost as simple as the first. Check your tire pressure on a regular basis to know if there is a small leak. Maybe you drove over a nail and didn’t realize it. We often don’t look at the tires on the passenger side since we don’t approach the car from that direction, checking regularly allows you to examine those opposite side wheels. It will keep your car’s handling in its best condition. Each vehicle can have different appropriate PSI (measurement for tire pressure), but when temperatures drop, so does the pressure in your tires. Keep car maintained Since you’ll be regularly checking the tires, might as well keep regularly scheduled maintenance on your car. This can range from
oil changes to transmission flushes. Simply checking windshield washer fluid or the antifreeze level in your car’s reservoir can prevent serious issues happening on the road. Wash your car especially after storms or if you’ve parked under a pine tree where birds can drop their white business on the hood or sap could drip onto the roof. Left untreated, these outdoor stains can ruin the paint on your vehicle. Drive defensively This means keeping distance between you and the car in front of you. Touching their bumper does nothing for you. And if you need to get that close to read their license plate or sticker, your eyesight is troubling and you probably shouldn’t be behind a steering wheel. Also you can’t always see what’s in front of the car before you. They may have to slam on their brakes due to an unexpected obstruction. If you rear end them, insurance rarely works out in your favor. This can also mean slowing down on wet roads or not weaving in and out of traffic. Distractions This is the No. 1 reason for accidents. This is not limited to using the cell phone, though texting, checking news alerts or making a phone call are all terrible decisions to make while driving. It also extends to dozing off or checking the price at the gas station you just passed. Be alert, stay vigilant. Other drivers may suddenly stop, they may not see you as you yield or turn. By staying engaged and sharp, your reactions can be sharper and you may even anticipate what other drivers are looking to do. One way to stay engaged is to vary your daily commute. Changing your routine alerts your brain, breaking you from the monotonous snooze you may find yourself after traveling certain routes hundreds of times. These habits are important and it is not overdramatic to say that they could save a life. l
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April 2018 | Page 17
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Rocky Mountain Care in Riverton Receives 2018 Customer Experience Award from Pinnacle Quality Insight
Rocky Mountain Care-Riverton Transitional Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing, is a Riverton based provider of Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Services, is proud to announce that they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2018 Customer Experience AwardTM. Qualifying for the award in the categories of Activates, Overall Satisfaction, Nursing Care, Dining Services, Cleanliness, Laundry Services, Recommend to Others, Professional Therapy Services, and Safety and Security, Rocky Mountain Care-Riverton displays a continued dedication to providing Best in Class senior healthcare services. Through its many years of serving the community, Rocky Mountain Care-Riverton has placed a strong emphasis on ensuring that the individual needs of every patient and resident are met. Over the course of 2017, a sampling of Rocky Mountain Care’s customers and their families have participated in monthly telephone interviews that include open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate Rocky Mountain Care-Riverton in specific categories.
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Every month, Rocky Mountain Care has gathered its real-time survey results in order to gain a better understanding of the patients and residents needs and make improvements when necessary. By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experiences AwardTM, Rocky Mountain Care-Riverton has satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15% of the nation across a 12-month average. Clients have the opportunity to achieve this Best in Class distinction on a monthly basis in many categories designed to accurately reflect each patient and residents experience. About Pinnacle Quality Insight A Customer satisfaction measurement firm with 22 years experience in post-acute healthcare, Pinnacle conducts over 150,000 phone surveys each year and works with more than 2,500 care providers in all 50 US states, Canada and Puerto Rico.
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Red Cross Seeks Volunteers to Help Install Smoke Alarms during Sound the Alarm Events
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The American Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters a year, the majority of which are home fires. Here in Utah, the Red Cross responds to a home fire once every 1 to 3 days. Sadly, 7 people a day die in a home fire in the U.S. Working smoke alarms in a home cuts that risk by half, and having an escape plan further improves the odds of survival. You may only have two minutes to escape when a fire occurs, but most people mistakenly believe they have more than twice as long toget out. Here is what the Red Cross suggests: o Home fire escape plans should include at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. o Select a meeting spot at a safe distance from your home where family members can meet after a fire. o Discuss the plan with everyone in the household and practice it at least twice a year. Make sure that you practice that plan until every member of your household can escape in less than two minutes. To address the home fire problem, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign in 2014 to end these tragedies and save lives. Across the country, the campaign is making a difference. The Red Cross and its partners across the country have saved at least 380 lives by installing over 1,135,000 free smoke alarms paired with home fire safety education.
Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Sound the Alarm in Utah is part of the nationwide Red Cross effort to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries from home fires. By volunteering with the Red Cross, you can truly make a difference in someone’s life. The Red Cross Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter is seeking people 16 years and older to volunteer their time and help save lives at the Sound the Alarm home fire safety
and smoke alarm installation events on May 2nd and May 12th targeting at-risk neighborhoods in South Salt Lake and West Valley City. Those interested can sign up at www.soundthealarm.org/utah Also to learn more about the Home Fire Campaign, visit redcross.org. To arrange for the installation of up to three smoke alarms per household contact the local Red Cross by calling 211. l
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Page 18 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
The Value of Choices I recently watched a Netflix Original show called “Ozark,” starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner and Peter Mullan. The show opens over a lake, late into an evening sunset. Over the next three minutes, a dimly-lit montage of the main character doing some menial tasks makes the audience question the morality of the character. Bateman’s voice is tracked over this scene. “Money: that which separates the haves, from the have-nots. It’s everything if you don’t have it, right? Half of all American adults have more credit card debt than savings. Twenty-five percent have no savings at all. And only 15 percent of the population is on track to fund even one year of retirement. You see, I think most people just have a fundamentally flawed view of money. Is it simply an agreed upon unit of exchange for goods and services? Or is it intangible – security, happiness, or peace of mind? Let me propose a third option; money as a measuring device. You see the hard reality is how much money we accumulate in life is a function of….patience, frugality, and sacrifice. When you boil it down, what do those three things have in common? Those are choices. Money is not peace of mind. Money’s not happiness. Money is, at its essence, that measure of a man’s choices.”
by
CASSIE GOFF
For months, the above quote has stuck with me, challenging my perceptions of money, poorness, richness, currency, and value. As the season of new beginnings—spring—approaches, it is a time to challenge ourselves to think
more positively, meditate incrementally, comprehend the daily quotes from calendars. If you aim to change mentality, instead of physicality, as part of your new beginnings, I challenge you to begin questioning the perception of money. Most of us view money as an agreed upon unit of exchange for goods and services. You’re reading this newspaper segment with the word “coupon” in the title, hoping to find ways of protecting those units already possessed. Without such coupons, or mentality of frugality, those units diminish. In viewing money as units of exchange, statistics like the ones mentioned above are frightening. Half of all American adults need to earn units to replenish the units they’ve already exchanged, instead of inheriting them. Fifteen percent of the population has not obtained enough units to exchange for a oneyear lifestyle free from work and responsibility. However, if we perceive money as a measure of an individual’s choices, those statistics are less anxiety-ridden. Half of all American adults made choices to live outside of their means. Fifteen percent of the population chose to live a different lifestyle. As I’ve been challenging my perception of
money, I’ve observed less stress about the number of units in my bank account and wallet. I’ve realized that the choices I make are my own. Some of my choices may not be acceptable, or even viable, for others within my community or country. I may not understand or support others’ choices as well. That’s why we make different choices, the ones that make sense to our individual selves. Our own currencies enrich our lives in different and meaningful ways. Choices are indefinite. We are provided the opportunity of choice with every moment we are alive. Our behaviors may be influenced; but we are the ultimate decision maker in what we wear, what we say, what we do, where we sleep, where we live, how we respond, who we fear, who we love, and who we are. Our money reflects those choices. And if we were to perceive money as a measure of human choice, I’d be pretty wealthy.
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April 2018 | Page 19
WestValleyJ ournal.com
Out in Left Field
Life
Laughter AND
by
PERI KINDER
Baseball has been America’s favorite pastime for more than 150 years, followed closely by gun control debates, reality TV and overeating. There’s just something about sitting in a ballpark surrounded by drunk fans that screams ‘Merica! The hubbie and I spent a weekend in Phoenix for spring training where teams get together for pre-season games and fans hope for a glimpse of a mega baseball star like Mike Trout or one of the racing sausage mascots from Milwaukee. As San Francisco Giants fans, we sat in a sea of orange and black, surrounded by men who obviously missed their calling as ESPN baseball announcers. Their color commentary got slurrier and slushier with each beer they drank. It made me wish real ESPN announcers would drink on the job. Whenever we walk into a ballpark, my husband turns into a 14-yearold boy. The crack of the bat, the smell of a leather glove and the roar of the crowd makes him absolutely giddy. Hubbie: We’re at a ball game! Me: I know. Hubbie: Maybe I’ll catch a foul ball! Me: Maybe. Hubbie: Do you think they’ll run out of
West Valley
players and call me up to play? Me: Me: You’ve been in the sun too long. But it’s not just my husband, nearly every man there is reliving childhood dreams of baseball stardom, talking about games they watched with their dads or reminiscing about baseball legends they revered as teens. I love baseball, but not in the way my husband does. A lot of my experience revolves around food (as most things do). At ball games, I eat food I’d never eat in real life. My 74-ounce Coke and foot-long Bratwurst was an appetizer for my shredded pork nachos, drenched in a fluorescent orange “cheese” stored in plastic buckets in the basement of the stadium. I ate French fries so salty, I actually pooped jerky. Baseball is about tradition: team loyalty, peanuts, Cracker Jack, not caring if you ever get back, and yelling at the umps after every bad call. The drunker the crowd, the more hilarious the insults. “Can I pet your Seeing-Eye dog after the game, Blue?” “That’s why umpires shouldn’t date players!” “You drop more calls than Verizon!” And so on.
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Then there’s the stats. Baseball statisticians use more abbreviations than texting teens. You have your standard 1B, HR, BB, SB, K, L and ERA. But occasionally, a stat will appear on the scoreboard that leaves everyone confused. “What the hell’s a UZR?” slurs a drunk ESPN announcer. We all scratch our heads until someone Googles it. (Ultimate Zone Rating, if you were wondering.) Each game holds the opportunity to witness an unassisted triple play, a grand slam, a no-hitter, a perfect game or a squirrel being chased off the field by an octogenarian ball boy. Ballparks
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are national treasures, each one unique and representative of their community. But my main reason for loving the game is this: baseball is a game of patience. There’s no time limit to a ballgame. It could last 3 hours or 5 hours; 9 innings or 13 innings. As our lives get busier, a ballgame is a reminder to sit in the sunshine, to talk to the person next to you and to order a hot dog without guilt as you root for your favorite team. All you have to do is sit, eat and cheer someone on. Shouldn’t that be America’s favorite pastime?
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Page 20 | April 2018
West Valley City Journal
Salt Lake County Council’s
ME SSAGE
Our greatest role—whether as parents, educators, or elected officials—is to protect our children from harm as we help them grow into adults who live, work, and raise a family. Unfortunately, the child abuse stats in Utah are staggering. Nationally 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Utah’s child sexual abuse rate is three times the national average. These numbers demonstrate the stark reality of child abuse, and reinforce why it is so important for the community to spread awareness and take steps to end it. In Utah we often want to bury our head in the sand and assume that it won’t happen to our kids. Child sexual abuse can happen to anyone and it’s important to be educated. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and each year it offers a new opportunity to further educate our county and state about this issue, and offer a call to action. We need to bring attention to the more 3,708 confirmed child victims of abuse in Salt Lake County alone in 2016. The bottom line is this: all children deserve to grow up in homes where they are safe and nurtured, and free from any form of abuse. The research is staggering about the negative long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences, also known as “ACEs.” ACEs include any form of abuse, neglect, domestic abuse toward the mother, substance abuse in the home, and more. A child who experiences ACEs has a higher chance of learning or behavioral issues later in life. If we want our kids BLUEBELL to have the best chance of leading productive, innovative, and *startinghealth from $480,000 and happy lives as adults, we should seek ways to re-
Staggering Child Abuse rates prompt education duce ACEs as much as possible. Prevent Child Abuse Utah is one organization that seeks to do that by education children, parents, and teachers about the risks and impacts of child abuse, as well as ways to prevent it. Since child abuse can be a particularly debilitating form of adverse childhood experiences, it is important that we take prevention seriously. I’ve been particularly impressed with Prevent Child Abuse Utah as they’ve gone school to school throughout Utah educating teachers and kids about the issue. Part of this includes helping children understand what child abuse actually is, and to know what to do if they ever experience it. Em-
powering children with the knowledge Aimee Winder Newton they need to protect themselves is vital. County Council District 3 I’ve been so impressed with Prevent Child Abuse Utah that I’ve served on their board for the last couple years, trying to help advance their mission. I would encourage all of our residents to spend 30 minutes taking the free, online parent course. You can find it at pcautah.org. I fully believe that we can end child abuse in Utah. It starts with education, continues with prevention, and ends with every child growing up in a safe, nurturing environment free from any form of abuse.
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