February 28, 2013 Wayne & Garfield County Insider

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INSIDER

Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Fremont • Loa • Lyman Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville

Hole in the Rock Area Recreation Study to Kick Off by Allysia Angus

Local Curriculum Builder Recognized for Talent, Teaching Ability by Ann Torrence

Allysia Angus

Dance Hall Rock, a popular stop along Hole in the Rock Road.

GRAND STAIRCASEESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT – The public is invited to join the conversation about recreation management and the places accessed via Hole in the Rock Road that are considered special during the first of four rounds of focus groups hosted by Colorado Mesa University’s Natural Resource Center and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument March 8 and 9 in Bob Stevenson Escalante and Boulder. The sessions are the first Hikers heading toward Dry Fork Slots. phase of the GSENM Recreation Experience Baseline stand the public’s desired out- people. The schedule, times, Study being conducted by comes for recreation manage- locations, and target particiCMU to help the BLM better ment in the Hole in the Rock pants are noted below. respond to the public’s desires Road area. Those not available to and expectations for how recThe focus groups will be participate in the March sesreation on the Monument is facilitated by Dr. Tim Casey, sions will have other oppormanaged. The study seeks to Professor of Political Science tunities later this year to have engage local leaders, business at Colorado Mesa University their voices heard. Three more owners, residents, and visitors in Grand Junction, Colorado. rounds of focus groups will be that either participate in recre- Dr. Casey is a lead researcher scheduled for May, July and ational activities in this area of and field coordinator at NRC September. Additionally, live the Monument or have a stake and has extensive experience web-based sessions will also in the quality of the experience working with BLM on simi- be utilized as part of the study. of those that do. lar social science projects on In these sessions, dates yet to The idea behind the focus the Colorado Plateau. He has be determined, participants groups is to open dialogue be- been responsible for facilita- from far and wide can join the tween GSENM and the public tion of public meetings and conversation from the comfort on recreation issues, to pro- focus groups regarding public of their homes using a phone vide information for future lands since 2006. and computer. planning efforts and project This first phase of the Each focus group sesassessments, and to gather sion will last approximately study has been funded by a data needed to better under- one hour and is limited to 30 Dates, times and locations of Hole in the Rock public meeting sessions. FRIDAY - March 8

4:00 PM

Escalante Interagency Visitor Center

GSENM Outfitters & Guides

FRIDAY - March 8

7:00 PM

Escalante Interagency Visitor Center

Area Visitors

SATURDAY - March 9

9:00 AM

Escalante City Council Chambers

Escalante Community Leaders & Business Owners

SATURDAY - March 9

11:00 AM

Escalante City Council Chambers

Escalante Residents

SATURDAY - March 9

2:00 PM

Boulder Community Center

Boulder Community Leaders & Business Owners

PANGUITCH weather

Thursday, February 28, 2013 • Issue # 985

LOA weather

National Landscape Conservation System Science Grant and Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act fees. If funding allows, additional areas of the Monument will be studied in subsequent years. For more information about this project and to RSVP to guarantee a spot in one of the sessions, please contact Allysia Angus, GSENM Landscape Architect/Land Use Planner at 435-826-5615 or aangus@blm.gov.

BICKNELL - In many respects, Amy Pace—recognized last month by Gary Herbert with the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology—is like any other high school science teacher. Her teaching load at the on-line Mountain Heights Academy is comparable to a brick-andmortar school, with about 130 biology and 40 chemistry students enrolled in her classes. One thing that is different about how Amy teaches is how she spends her time. Since her lessons are prepared in advance for on-line delivery, rather than spending her days repeating a lecture to several different class sections, instead she works individually with each student enrolled in the charter school. Some kids want daily tutoring, others check in every week or two for a progress assessment. Mountain Heights Academy, formerly the Open High School of Utah, is based in West Jordan and is a tuitionfree, online public charter school currently available to all Utah students in grades 9 - 12. Founded in 2009, the school’s curriculum is divided into weekly modules, giving students the freedom to complete assignments when and where they choose within each week. Next year, the school will expand again to include students in 7th and 8th grades. For the 2013-14 academic year, the school anticipates a statewide enrollment of about 500 students. Amy joined the faculty in 2010 when the Mountain Heights Academy began its second year and had grown to offer a 10th grade program. Her first job was to write the curriculum for biology classes. “I had to learn how to write for on-line classes, where lessons are created for a week at a time, instead of just one a day. Students can have access to them whenever they choose, and some do it all in one day. I have to make sure the lessons aren’t overwhelming or boring, but still get through all the material required by the state standards.” All the resource materials used by the students, including textbooks, are open source, meaning they are available for free to the public. Amy supple-

Ann Torrence

Bicknell’s Amy Pace was among ten individuals selected from throughout the state to receive this year’s Governer’s Award for Science and Technology. ments her lessons with open source videos, including ones she records in her own home. DeLaina Tonks, Director of Mountain Heights Academy, said of Amy’s performance, “Amy has successfully transitioned her stellar teaching experience into the online arena, and as a result of her dedication, expertise and best practices is an award-winning curriculum builder and teacher.” Tonks added that Amy’s students appreciate her high expectations, coupled with the accessibility for individual tutoring that Mountain Heights Academy offers, which netted the school a 6th in the state ranking based on end-of-year state-mandated science tests. When the school expands this fall to include the7th and 8th grade, Tonks says Amy will have an even larger role. “Amy’s role will expand, if anything, as we will add more science teachers and her department will be a bit bigger. She is a delightful professional to work with and has the admiration and respect of all of her colleagues and students,” said Tonks. Students in the charter

school come from all over the state of Utah, including five from Garfield and Wayne Counties. About 20% are homeschoolers who want to earn a diploma from a credentialed program with a transcript that may facilitate the college application process. A Utah dancer living in New York City has studied with the program, as have US Ski Team members and an athlete on the professional Dew Tour. Some kids need the flexible schedules for personal reasons. “We hate to think there are students who are supporting their families, but there are, and if they need to work in the day, they can study at night to get their degree,” Amy said. Others are kids who have struggled in traditional schools. Amy explained, “Sometimes the classroom dynamic is fun for the student and the teacher but often it is hard for students because of the peer pressure. We have a lot of students who came because they were bullied, so it’s a good environment for them because it’s one-on-one.” Curriculum Builder Cont’d on page 2

Community Health Care Input Sought

BICKNELL - Wayne Community Health Center (WCHC) is starting an application for a New Access Point in Escalante, Utah. This new access point would provide medical, dental, mental and pharmacy services to the town of Escalante and surrounding communities. The grant funds allow the center to provide much needed services to families at discounted rates if their income fits into the guidelines. This will be an ongoing collaboration with Garfield Memo-

rial Hospital, Escalante Town, Garfield County, and WCHC. This grant application will be highly competitive with only 25 applications being funded nationwide. So we need to show overwhelming support from the community and our partners. Letters of support from community members and partners explaining in their own words why this is needed would be greatly appreciated. Your stories of medical emergencies or care issues are what define the great need in the commu-

Wayne Phone: 435-836-2622 Garfield Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 1-888-370-8546 PO BOX 105, Escalante, Utah 84726 snapshot@live.com

I think it’s always a good move to listen to that inner voice, if it doesn’t lead to a crime. —Lisa Kudrow, Vasser Commencement Address, 2010

THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia, LLC and is distributed weekly to all of Wayne and Garfield Counties, Utah. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia, LLC. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper.

nity. Please send by March 20, 2013 to be included in the application. If you would like a letter template you can email Ramona. Thank you for your help and support. Please send or e-mail your letters to: rlarsen@waynechc.org Wayne Community Health Center Att: Ramona Larsen PO Box 303 Bicknell, Utah 84715-0303 —Wayne Community Health Center

ALL content for THE WAYNE &GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY before 5:00 pm to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.

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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122


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