Cottonwood Journal | December 2021

December 2021 | Vol. 17 Iss. 12

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BRIGHTON MATH TEACHER SHOWS 16-YEAR RESILIENCY PREPARING FOR BOSTON MARATHON

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

n October, Brighton High math teacher Afton Brown took a couple days off and slipped away before the weekend with a neighbor to Boston.

It wasn’t for a “girls’ getaway,” but rather, the two were running the Boston Marathon.

Brown didn’t say much to her colleagues or students for fear it wouldn’t happen, because she had been down that road before.

“It’s taken me like 16 years to get to Boston,” she said. “I wasn’t going to jinx myself and tell anybody that I was running, because after all this time, what if I wasn’t?”

Brown’s first marathon was in 2000 when she ran Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota soon after graduating from Jordan High.

She also ran the Salt Lake City Marathon, but she didn’t start aiming for the Boston Marathon until 2005 when she was trying for a qualifying time of 3:40. Instead, she ran a 3:44 at the St. George Marathon, “so I gave up running marathons. It was way too much time and effort.”

Fast forward 10 years when her neighbor, Susanna Messinger, became her running partner and Brown learned she didn’t put in as much effort as she thought with her previous marathon training.

“We run every morning and she convinced me to try to qualify again,” Brown said, adding

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that they typically would run 50 miles per week with some speed work mixed into the endurance runs. “So, we did the Utah Valley Marathon in 2018 and I ran a qualifying time. I ran 3:35 and the qualifying time was still 3:40.”

However, even though Brown’s time was fast enough to register, it doesn’t guarantee entry into the race.

“Depending on how many people register, the time drops, and the qualifying time was dropped so I didn’t make it by 12 seconds; so once again, my time was too slow,” she remembered. “It’s heartbreaking because I don’t know, I thought for sure I was in and I told people, ‘Hey, I made it into Boston’ and I really didn’t.”

Still determined, Brown ran the 2019 Ogden Marathon and finished with a time of 3:29.68, but this time, the qualifying time was faster at 3:35.

“It gave me a five-minute buffer and I was fast enough to get in (the lottery). I got a confirmation that I made it and my running partner made it and we trained through all winter. Then, like everything else, the race (set for spring 2020) got canceled and rescheduled for fall 2020, which of course, didn’t happen. They bumped it again, and cut the field size significantly,” she said.

Continued page 11

After 16 years of trying to run the Boston Marathon, Brighton High math teacher Afton Brown completed it in her best time. (Photo courtesy of Marathonfoto)

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December 2021 | Page 3

Brighton High’s jewelry program teaches students skills for real-world application

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

L

ast spring, a group of Brighton High students petitioned the Utah State Board of Education, wanting the school to offer Jewelry III. Brighton High’s jewelry teacher, Albert Spencerwise, said there has been a lot of recent growth in the jewelry program and when it was looked into, a course curriculum already had been established. That allowed the school to offer the self-led curriculum course that prepares students for working in the industry.

Senior Brandeis Atkinson is a third-year jewelry student.

“I like working with my hands and learning skills and as I looked at classes, jewelry was something I could envision would be appealing and I thought it would be a quick art credit,” he said. “The more I learned, the more I liked doing it and could appreciate what I was able to make with my own hands. In the first class, I learned a lot. I learned engraving by hand and by machine.

I soldered a copper ring and learned how to do Viking knitting to make a necklace. Then, I made a woman’s ring.”

That project, the significant woman’s ring, he gave to his girlfriend.

Spencerwise said that is Jewelry I’s capstone class project—a sterling ring where students learn how to bezel-set a premade cabochon.

In his second class, Atkinson said he learned more advanced techniques by engraving a copper bracelet with intricate flowers, leaves and mountains.

The course also includes projects that focus on riveting, soldering, chasing and repoussé, advanced stone setting: prong and flush setting.

This fall, Atkinson is presenting his signature pieces as if he were to open his own jewelry line at a store.

Journals T H E

“I can pretty much do what I want as long as I meet the requirements and pay for my materials,” he said. “I’m making a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings and a ring.

I’m still learning advanced work and getting the help such as learning the temperature I needed to set the kiln.”

While Atkinson doesn’t know how jewelry will be a part of his future, he has appreciated learning the craft and may continue to do it as a hobby or even a side business.

“This has quickly turned into a passion,” he said.

Brighton’s jewelry program has been offered for 40 years, having been established by former teacher Walt Schofield.

Spencerwise said it was Schofield who studied jewelry on the Navajo Nation and learned how to make the significant woman’s ring and shared it with his classes. When Spencerwise began teaching the curriculum, that craft was no longer being taught so Schofield returned to teach him and even made instructions to lead the class in the craft.

“He was really excited that we wanted to have it come back as part of the curriculum,” Spencerwise said.

In his Jewelry I class, currently 95 students are making that Navajo-inspired ring for their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, girlfriends or someone special in their lives.

All of jewelry classes are steppingstones to lead to a field apprenticeship. This fall, Brighton has established a partnership with nearby Jonathan’s Jewelry, where students can apply for an internship to learn the skills needed in a jewelry store.

“Students are learning the skills they need for the industry. Typically, they can earn $45-50 per hour after taking Jewelry III, just for doing engraving work,” he said.

This spring, the partnership hopes to al-

Brighton High’s jewelry teacher Albert Spencerwise helps Jewelry I students with their projects during class. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

low students to showcase their jewelry in the store and allow them to sell it to customers.

Senior Zerriaha LeClaire is enrolled in Jewelry I, following in her great-grandma’s footsteps of dabbling in the craft and extending the family tradition of working in the arts—from painting and drawing to music composition and woodworking.

“As I started doing it, I loved it and really excelled,” she said. “I connected with the teacher, and it has become a lot of fun, something I really look forward to doing.”

In the classroom, Spencerwise has those who oversee their tables and a classroom hi-

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erarchy to help fellow classmates, which LeClaire sits at the top.

“I usually don’t open up, I’m a social introvert, but I threw myself out there and now I’m it,” she said. “This class has helped me come out of my shell so now I help my classmates learn how to do things. It’s just the best environment; we are excited about learning and are able to take our time to focus on what we’re doing. This class gives me a chance to connect with others and myself as I learn patience; I am able to relax and just take my time creating something beautiful.”l

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Cottonwood Heights City Journal

Residents to pay new storm water fee

By Cassie Goff | cassie@mycityjournals.com

C

ottonwood Heights residents will begin paying an additional monthly fee on their Rocky Mountain Power utility bill. The storm water fee will be collected in part to help fund replacement and repairs for the city’s infrastructure. While the fee amount will vary between customers, the average resident will pay roughly $6 per month.

The base fee approved by the Cottonwood Heights City Council on June 15 (through Ordinance 359 - Enacting and Codifying Chapter 17.29 ‘Storm Sewer Utility’) is $7.50 per ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit), which is defined as 5,000 square feet of impervious surface area. Impervious areas include surfaces like driveways, patios and roofs. They are areas in which the natural landscape has been altered, so when there’s precipitation, the water doesn’t soak into the ground. Instead, the water is funneled into the storm drain system.

Rocky Mountain Power customers will pay slightly different prices for the storm water fee, depending on the impervious surface on each individual property. Since most typical single-family residences of lots under 0.5 acres have an average of 4,000 square feet of impervious surface, many Cottonwood Heights residents would likely pay $6 per month. A waiver program offering 12 months of relief may be available to customers under financial duress or in active-duty military.

The fee was determined as necessary by the council since the Cottonwood Heights Public Works crew continually uncovers deteriorated elements of the storm drain infrastructure, which are in desperate need of repair. This is a rather frequent occurrence as Salt Lake County did not accurately map the entire system before the city incorporated. There are still elements of the system the public works team discovers that were not previously accounted for nor mapped.

The corrugated metal pipe storm drain system, which only had an intended life span of roughly 25 years, was primarily constructed in the ‘70s and ‘80s by Salt Lake County. It has now been in use for double its lifespan.

Cottonwood Heights is one of the last municipalities in the area to implement such a storm water fee, as all the cities and unincorporated areas already have fee schedules implemented or pending.

This $7.50 per ERU storm water fee is estimated to provide the city with $1,406,403 of revenue annually. This revenue will help pay for trip maintenance, storm water fund expenses, manholes, waterway replacement, and operational costs related to the city’s infrastructure.

The current budgetary plans are to divide the anticipated revenue of $75,000 for flushing out storm water manholes and inlets, $225,000 for raising buried storm drain manholes, and $101,722 for waterway replacements. In addition, $500,000 will be retained for any emer-

CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com

The storm drain system infrastructure in Cottonwood Heights tends to get polluted and causes blockages which are hard to clean. (Cassie Goff/ City Journals)

The storm drain system infrastructure in Cottonwood Heights was constructed under Salt Lake County in the 1970s. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)

gency repairs or for flexibility with future bonding.

On Nov. 2, the Cottonwood Heights City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2021-54 which entered the city into a billing services agreement with PacifiCorp. PacifiCorp is the parent corporation of Rocky Mountain Power and company for the Utah Department of Transportation’s billing services.

“We don’t have a separate billing for the city,” Councilmember Scott Bracken explained as he motioned for approval. “PacifiCorp goes to every address in the city and it’s the only one who goes to all residents. They are already set up for this process.”

Resolution 2021-54 states that PacifiCorp “is responsible for communicating the adoption and collection of assigned fees to the city’s residents.” PacifiCorp “shall provide customers contact information, including a toll-free telephone number, for inquires related to feeds on their Rocky Mountain Power bill.”

For more information, visit the city’s website and search “Stormwater.” Questions and comments may be sent to publicworks@ ch.utah.gov or the city’s communications manager at 801-944-7015.l

A typical Cottonwood Heights home has 5,000 square feet of impervious area (surfaces that don’t allow stormwater to pass through underlying soil).

(Public Works Department/Cottonwood Heights)

Cottonwood Heights is one of the last Wasatch Front cities to consider implementing a stormwater fee.

(Public Works Department/Cottonwood Heights)

December 2021 | Page 5

‘The squid was gross,’ Canyon View Elementary’s fourth-grade student-scientists learn not ‘gross,’ but ‘how scientific’

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

C

anyon View fourth-grader Drew Merrell likes dissecting.

“It’s cool stuff,” he said. “Look at this shiny tapetum from the cow’s eye that reflects light. That’s what makes their eyes glow.”

Then, he related that knowledge to figure out that’s why cats’ eyes also glow.

“That is really cool to learn. The squid was gross to dissect, but it was fun to try to write my name with the ink,” he said, forgetting one of the rules of the dissection.

That rule is for students to say, “how scientific, not ew or gross,” said teacher Sean Thorpe, who brought the ideas of dissection and hands-on learning to the fourth-grade science components. “I believe that education should be experiential rather than repeat what they learn. So this is a designed experience for them to learn through their curiosity.”

Earlier this year, all the fourth-grade students, along with parents supervising small groups of three, dissected squids, understanding that organisms have special structures, he said.

“We had 100% of our students participate; it helps build their courage to do

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this,” Thorpe said. “This time, we had two girls opt out of dissecting the eyes of cows, sheep and pigs. They were given another assignment, where they created 3D models to color.”

During this unit, students first learned the structure of living organisms and different body types. In studying the human eye, they not only learned about its iris, lens, retina and optic nerve, but also how the body responds with its nervous system.

“We chose these eyes because they are mammal with complex lens and similar to the human eye,” he said.

While he does not have a strong science background, Thorpe, who is in his seventh year of teaching and is new to Canyon View this year, said he had done similar dissections and experiments at his previous school the past five years.

Many of the parents also have never done dissections like this before.

“I like parents being involved and the community engagement part of it. Anytime I can get parents out of their comfort zone to try something new or unfamiliar to them, it helps the students out,” Thorpe said.

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Canyon View Elementary fourth-graders engage in hands-on learning as they dissect and identify parts of cows’ eyes. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Drew’s mother, Nikole, said her last dissection was when she was in school, but she supports this learning.

“It’s super awesome that they get hands-on learning and can see how it relates to how their own eyes work,” she said. “The squid dissection made some of them queasy with the formaldehyde, but they thought it was fun to write their names in the ink. I think it’s great that parents are involved in the learning and we’re getting to know each other through these dissections.”

Even the PTA president Josh Henderson was hands-on despite not having a fourth-grade student.

“I think this is really positive for our fourth grade; I’m just here to help provide an extra set of hands,” he said, then was put to work finding more pairs of plastic gloves and passing out dissection tools.

After the dissection, Thorpe has students write a CER—claim, evidence and reason paper.

“This allows them to reason and think through the process,” he said.

Fourth-grade students also took their dissection knowledge to help first-graders’ examine owl pellets to find the tiny bones from that owl's meal, and learn about the owl's diet and place in the food web, said Principal Kierstin Draper, who’s young daughter was all excited to bring home her owl pellet and told her mother, “I’m going to keep it forever.”

Next, fourth-grade students will ro-

tate to learn about planet movement in the astronomy unit from Megan Norton, test waves in a sound and light unit with Emily Weigel and learn about potential, kinetic and solar energy with Thorpe. Their handson projects have yet to be announced.

Norton said that this is the first time she has taught these dissections.

“It’s not necessarily something I’m excited about doing, but it is memorable for the kids and anytime they’re excited for learning, I’m all for it,” she said. “It’s fun that they are getting hands-on learning and can apply it to aspects of life.”

Weigel, a first-year teacher and former school PTA president, said the squid dissection was her first since her high school days.

These experiments are “a great component to have as a cumulative project that is more impactful,” she said. “But we couldn’t do it without volunteers back in the school.

It’s a game-changer for kids, teachers and the Canyon View community. These experiences bind us and bring that abstract concept into a way of understanding for students.”

While the excitement over these class dissections has spread to the entire school, Thorpe now plans to hold a science night with the help of the teachers and support of the PTA. On the evening of Jan. 13, all Canyon View students will have a chance to dabble in science experiments in a rotation of projects that may include determining the DNA of a strawberry to testing static electricity or creating a fizzing rocket. l

Cottonwood Heights City Journal

Schools celebrate diversity, learn meaning of Día de los Muertos

L

ight streams into the room near the entrance to Summit Academy’s middle school in Draper, capturing the colorful decorations placed upon a table as a makeshift ofrenda, or altar or offering, for Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a multi-day holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and in parts of Latin America that honors loved ones who have died.

Eighth-grade English-language arts teacher Kelly Jeppson coordinated Summit Academy’s commemoration.

“We are always looking for ways to discuss diversity and inclusion in our classroom, as well as celebrate different cultures,” Jeppson said.

She said that students tied into their language arts’ skills of reading and writing as they read an article, watched a short video and then designed an ofrenda to remember a family member, friend, pet, or even character from a book.

“It was meaningful to many of the students, and a good opportunity to get to know each other in a different way,” Jeppson said.

While many people may view death as a time filled with sadness and grief, Horizon Elementary teacher Miriam Luna said it’s a time for remembrance of deceased relatives.

“It’s a way to remember them in a good way,” she said. “Día de los Muertos is a time to celebrate and to respect the culture. Ofrendas are an appropriate way for everyone to participate in the celebration.”

Students in her Murray classroom had made a classroom ofrenda, bringing pictures of family members who had died. A second ofrenda was created in the faculty room.

Both ofrendas have bright flowers, which are believed to attract souls to the ofrenda. Many ofrendas have marigolds, known as the “flowers of the dead,” which Luna said their scent reminds her of “good memories of those people.”

The creation of the ofrendas have evolved over time and are intertwined between Aztec culture and Catholic traditions into two days, Nov. 1 being All Saints’ Day, which celebrates the children who have died, and Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, which honors adults. On Día de los Muertos it is believed that the souls of those who have departed return to visit their loved ones and family.

The holiday coincides with the Monarch butterflies’ migration to Mexico for the winter. Many locals believe that the butterflies are the souls of their loved ones.

“While learning the language, it’s important to understand the culture and holidays. Students are more engaged when they have this understanding,” said Luna, who on the second day of the celebration planned to paint her face in the style of a calavera or skull.

Luna, who’s family also has an ofrenda at home, was teaching Spanish dual immersion

CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com students about what the celebration means to the culture as they were to color skull drawings, symbolic of sugar skulls, which are made of granulated sugar, meringue powder and water and decorated with bright colors.

Having skulls be made of sugar, known as the “sweetness of life,” further challenges the idea that death is frightening and somber.

“They’re really sweet,” said Silver Mesa fifth-grader Alexis Sutherland, who’s heritage is part Mexican; she helps her family make them annually.

The Spanish dual immersion student said she has helped to decorate at school for the celebration.

“The holiday has flowers, bright paper that we cut in patterns and designs, food, photographs and lots of colors. It’s a happy not sad occasion,” she said.

The intricately cut paper is believed to allow ancestors to travel through the slots to connect with their relatives. The paper also is symbolic of the fragility of life.

Her classmate Elizabeth Rigby liked learning about Día de los Muertos.

“It’s a chance for us to learn about it, appreciate their culture, and have fun,” she said.

Their principal, Julie Fielding, said students are learning that it’s a holiday when they can recall memories of good times they had with decreased relatives and show their respect.

At nearby Mt. Jordan Middle School, students also paid their reverence by decorating sugar skulls. They also offered a brightly colored display outside of a Spanish classroom.

At Midvale Elementary, students could contribute to the ofrenda created by the dual immersion teachers and then, they walked to the nearby cemetery to clean up leaves and trash as a way to serve. Afterward, they sampled pan dulce or sweet bread.

On the ofrenda at Sandy Elementary, there also is bread, albeit a plastic version.

The bread is designed to mimic the shape of skull and crossbones and is placed to share with those who have died.

Some of the more famous people whose photographs were on the altar included Helen Keller, Albert Einstein and Anne Frank, giving students a way they could commonly identify. Candles were placed among the photographs as a symbol of love for deceased relatives and as guiding lights for their spirits.

Sandy Elementary’s ofrenda was created by adult students in their Family Learning Center, who gave a presentation to students, including listening to Jorge Eliecer Garcia play “La Llorona” folk song on his violin.

“We do this so everyone can be part of it,” said student Maria Doriman Hernandez, who grew up with ofrendas and continues with them with her family today. “We all come from different countries, but we can bond together and get to know each oth-

Midvalley dual immersion teacher Eva Bonilla instructs first-graders in Spanish about the holiday. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Silver Mesa students color skulls as part of the Día de los Muertos celebration. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

er through this holiday. It’s a way we can become knowledgeable about each other’s countries and have that understanding.”

Casssady Daynes, Family Learning Center director, said it provided her adult students, who also come from Iraq, Sudan, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela and other countries, a chance to practice their English and become involved in their children’s school while learning themselves about the holiday and sharing why it is special.

“It brings us together and we can remember those we have loved in positive ways,” she said.

At Midvalley Elementary, in Midvale, dual immersion first-grade teacher Eva Bonilla gave instructions to her students in Spanish, so they were learning vocabulary as well as why and where the celebrations take place.

“We’re making connections with the students so they’re learning from their maestra (teacher) about the importance of the holiday and culture,” said Bonilla, who painted her face to look like a calavera. “The best thing is that the kids love and are willing to learn, see and are open to celebrate and understand why people honor those they loved.” l

December 2021 | Page 7

Cottonwood Heights considering advisory board for police department

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

T

he City of Cottonwood Heights is considering the implementation of a Citizen Advisory Board for public safety within the city. On Nov. 2, City Manager Tim Tingey and Police Chief Robby Russo outlined some of the guidelines for establishing boards/committees set forth by the state legislature. In addition, they surveyed how other municipalities around the area have approached implementing advisory boards.

H.B. 415: Local Law Enforcement Structure and Governance Amendments sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray and Sen. Don Ispon sets the guidelines for Advisory Committees for local municipalities. Primarily, the bill prohibits municipalities from establishing committees with any powers over the police chief.

Advisory committees are prohibited from reviewing or approving a police department’s rules, regulations, policies, or procedures; vetoing any new policy or striking down an existing policy; reviewing a police department’s budget in order for the budget to take effect, approving a contract with a police union; or making decisions about hiring or appointments.

“They do not have independent authority from the police chief,” Tingey said.

However, advisory committees are allowed to provide feedback and insight to a police department. They can give feedback on policies, assess complaints of misconduct, provide recommendations for rules and regulations, review instances of use of force and investigate internal affairs, help with trainings and projects, and advise various functions and activities.

“Cities have enacted these groups in the hope of increasing trust between police officers and the community,” Tingey explained.

Within the Greater Salt Lake area, eight local municipalities have taken one of three approaches for Citizen Advisory Boards so far.

Boards with broad advisory roles can be found in UPD (Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake), Provo, West Jordan and South Jordan. The main purpose of this type of board is to increase communication. The police chief may ask for insights and reviews on issues such as emergency management, neighborhood watch, uniform and grooming standards, and surveys.

Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, and West Valley all have boards with advisory review roles. The board’s primary role is to assess citizen complaints of police misconduct and provide citizen input on

Under Utah State legislation, local municipalities have many restrictions on how they might go about implementing a citizen-led advisory board. (Peter Finn/National Institute of Justice)

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force issues. In addition, board members are required to have substantial training.

Murray takes a general public safety approach for their advisory board; where members look at both police and fire issues to provide insights related to general public safety.

Many of these advisory boards were created through ordinances written by city staff members and passed by city councils. Tingey suspects South Jordan to be one of the only municipalities whose committee flows through a more administrative side.

The Cottonwood Heights City Council discussed implementing a committee with a role somewhere between a broad advisory role and general public safety focus. However, the council questioned if that would cause issue since Cottonwood Heights contracts with Unified Fire Authority (UFA) for fire services. They would not want to pass an ordinance impacting the larger footprint of UFA. “It’s a great opportunity to engage with the community and learn about what we aren’t doing well,” said UFA Chief Riley Pilgrim.

The council asked city staff members and City Attorney Shane Topham to look into writing an ordinance to establish a Citizen Advisory Board. City staff will look further at the ordinance and language from Murray in conjunction with some of the Cottonwood Heights past ordinances that establish committees like the Parks, Trails, and Open Space Committee and Arts Council, as a model. l

Cottonwood Heights city staff members will begin drafting an ordinance to implement a Citizen Advisory Board focusing on public safety. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)

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December 2021 | Page 9

Elections: Cottonwood Heights council to have different look in 2022

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

O

ut of the five Cottonwood Heights council seats (including mayor), three were voted upon during the 2021 general election.

The results are in. Cottonwood Heights City Council will have three new faces in 2022.

For the next four years, Mike Weichers will serve as Cottonwood Heights Mayor.

Based on the first round of ranked choice voting (RCV) results, Weichers had 38% of the vote, while candidate Eric Kraan received 33% of the vote, candidate Maile Evans received 20% of the vote, candidate Ed Schwartz received 6% of the vote, and candidate Timothy Hallbeck received 4% of the vote.

After four RCV rounds eliminating the candidate with the lowest percentage of the vote, Weichers won with 52.9% of the vote (4,611 votes), over Kraan who had 47.1% of the vote (4,112 votes).

Shawn Newell will serve as Cotton-

wood Heights City councilmember for District 3 for the next four years.

Based on the first round of RCV results, Newell had 40% of the vote, while candidate Mike Hanson received 33% of the vote, candidate David Rawlings received 22% of the vote, candidate Runar Boman received 4% of the vote, and candidate E. Samuel McShaffrey received 1% of the vote.

After four RCV rounds eliminating the candidate with the lowest percentage of the vote, Newell won with 51.5% of the vote (1,121 votes) over Hanson who had 48.5% of the vote (1,057 votes).

Ellen Birrell will serve as Cottonwood Heights City councilmember for District 4 for the next four years.

Based on the first round of RCV results, Birrell had 50% of the vote, while candidate Ernie Kim received 44% of the vote, and candidate Le Ann Walker re-

This was the first year Cottonwood Heights utilized a ranked choice vote for their Municipal Election.

(Salt Lake County Clerk)

Four rounds of ranked choice voting were tallied for two of the positions for Cottonwood Heights City Council. (Salt Lake County Clerk)

Page 10 | December 2021

Cottonwood Heights City Journal

Mike Weichers will serve as the next Cottonwood Heights Mayor. (Photo courtesy of Mike Weichers)

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Ellen Birrell will service as the new Councilmember for District 4. (Photo courtesy of Ellen Birrell)

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ceived 6% of the vote.

After the second RCV round eliminating candidate Walker, Birrell won with 52.7% of the vote (1,444 votes) over Kim who had 47.3% of the vote (1,295 votes).

For further information on voting results, visit www.slco.org/clerk/elections. l

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Shawn Newell will serve as the new Cottonwood Heights City Councilmember for District 3. (Photo courtesy of Shawn Newell)

Continued from front page Aging up proved helpful in this case as a slower qualifying time was posted for her age group so her time still qualified her— otherwise, Brown said, she’d be still trying to qualify.

Then, the race set for Patriots Day 2021 was delayed until October.

With each postponement of the race, it meant changing her flight and hotel plans and hoping she still would be able to run the race of her dreams.

At long last, Brown packed her bags, flew to Boston and checked in, but it wasn’t until the night before the race when she picked up her race packet that she believed there was a chance it would happen.

“I had a nightmare that I couldn’t find my COVID vaccine card, and I couldn’t prove I was vaccinated, so I had this constant fear that running it wouldn’t actually happen,” she said.

Meanwhile, a colleague shared with others that Brown was to run the Boston Marathon “so I got a lot of people wishing me good luck beforehand.”

Still, reality didn’t quite hit until she was at the rolling start after taking a shuttle bus to the start.

Then, Brown said she made the wise decision to go out slow.

“It seemed like a really humid day and a lot of people had a hard time, but I started out super conservative,” she said. “The course

CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com

starts out downhill at first, then it has some hills at the end, and it seemed like a lot of people started too fast and struggled on the hills. I fortunately didn’t. I think having the hills at the end is what makes that course so difficult. They call it Heartbreak Hill because that mile 21 you’re climbing.”

Each time Brown passed a sensor along the racecourse, she had a surge of positive energy.

“I knew my family was getting an update on my time, and some back home were tracking my progress and they were sending me positive messages,” she said.

The entire 26.2-mile course, Brown said, was lined with fans.

“The crowd, their energy, it’s pretty amazing. One of the fans said, ‘You look great’ and I picked it up a little. They were cheering on everyone—and at the finish area, there were even more fans,” she said.

This was meant to be her time to race as Brown ran 3:27, her best time.

“I really just wanted to be under 3:30 again. I just wanted to have it happen. So many times, I had a fear that it was going to be canceled again,” she said. “It took me a really long time to get here, so it meant a lot to me. The race was everything I dreamed of—the crowd, the city, the volunteers, the course, it was all worth it. I loved every minute of it and I’m mostly grateful that I was able to do it, thankful for the experience that I was able to experience something that I’d dreamt about for so long.” l

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December 2021 | Page 11

Sandy woman cheers on stranger who completes Utah marathon with canes

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

L

ike a marathon course, life is full of ups and downs and winding roads. It can also present surprising and breathtaking views and experiences that never would have happened—or been as sweet—without the hard work and challenges that it took to get there.

This was the experience for two strangers, Nicolé Hillary of Sandy and Dr. Bryon Soelberg of San Diego, who met on Sept.

10 at the Big Cottonwood Canyon Marathon. They both signed up for the marathon hoping it would give them an outlet for their challenges.

“I’ve worked the med team at the marathon for years. I’m a ‘catcher’—I stand at the finish line and watch for signs of dehydration. And if people fall across the finish line, I catch them,” said Hillary, who works as an OB scrub tech at Alta View Hospital.

In addition to being a hospital worker during the pandemic, Hillary was dealing with the loss of her husband of 37 years, Del. Del died in July 2020 after a motorcycle accident, and Hillary, who describes herself as usually “up” had been feeling low for over a year.

“I had been in a really dark place. We donated his organs, which was an amazing experience. We have four kids and 10 grandkids, but they’re all on their own. I just had to go back to work and I’d come home and

there was the loneliness. It changed me,” Hillary said.

Soelberg was dealing with challenges of his own.

In 2000 he was diagnosed with a congenital spinal disorder. He was born without an odontoid, a bone that provides pivoting motion for the skull and the C1 neck vertebra. An injury to the area can be fatal. Nearing 60, he is thought to be the oldest living person with the disease.

Hillary signed up to work the marathon as she had for so many years, thinking that it might do her spirit some good. About four hours in she saw Soelberg nearing the finish line.

“I saw this guy coming towards the finish line with a cane in each hand, and he’s basically being held up by braces. I didn’t see anyone waiting or cheering for this guy,” Hillary said. So she went onto the course to walk the final steps with him.

“I started walking with him and he smiled. Soon we were talking and laughing,” Hillary said. Then Hillary asked who was here with him.

“Absolutely no one,” he said.

Soelberg is well-known in California and has finished marathons all over the world. He’d completed 219 at the time of this writing. He has a great support system,

but it didn’t work out for any of them to come to Utah this time.

Hillary crossed the finish line with him and congratulated his achievement. “I told him Utah is a special place, and there are people here who love to help, even if we’re strangers.

“Then I had other people to attend to at the finish line, so I made sure he was OK and yelled out, ‘Thanks for coming to Utah!’ and left,” Hillary said.

Soelberg stayed on Hillary’s mind.

“I had been in this dark place. But Bryon came along and said, this is how it’s done.

When you’re faced with a challenge that should have killed you, this is how you make it positive. I thought, ‘Look at what he’s doing. What am I whining about?’

“It was just a little moment, but it lifted me, and I stayed lifted. It pulled my heart out a little further, and I’ll always be grateful for it,” Hillary said.

Soelberg was touched, too. He stayed back at the finish line, watching how the “not shy or quiet” Hillary cared for other athletes.

“He came over to me and had someone take our picture. There was snow that day and I was soaking wet, but it was a great moment. He said that no one had ever done that before; no stranger had ever

treated him with that much kindness,” Hillary said.

And then it was over. Soelberg was on to his next marathon and Hillary was back at work.

Then one day Hillary got a call from administration at Alta View Hospital. They told her someone was trying to track her down, someone from the marathon, and he had a picture for her. It was Soelberg.

“We were able to exchange contact information and he sent me the picture of the two of us at the finish line. He called me his Utah Angel, and it’s the greatest picture!”

Hillary said.

Hillary said meeting Soelberg is a moment that she’ll always remember, not because of what she did for him, but because of what he did for her.

“We forget that when we’re serving people, we’re doing something for ourselves, too,” Hillary said.

The experience made her think of her husband. She wished he had been at home that night and she could have told him all about it. Since his loss, this is the kind of moment she appreciates more deeply.

“I would have told Del about meeting Bryon, and Del would have said, ‘Nicolé, it doesn’t surprise me at all that you did that. It doesn’t surprise me at all,’” Hillary said. l

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Brighton High’s mountain biking teams ride to fourth in state

By Jerry Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com

O

ver 2,500 student-athletes converged at Desert Canyons bike trails for the Utah High School Cycling League’s mountain biking state championship Oct. 12-13. It was called by St. George news outlets, “the single largest high school sporting event in the nation.”

The orange-clad Brighton team was there with 48 riders and the coaching duo of Mike and Kristen Knapp.

The grueling Southern Utah race course was designed by Jake Weber. “This is the longest mountain bike course for high school kids in the nation,” Weber said. “This one is

7.3 miles and you do two laps. It has 600 feet of climbing per lap, and it demands skills that these kids have built up over the course of the year.”

Mountain biking is purported to be the fastest growing high school sport in both the state and in the country. It caters to different skill levels, different specialties and different groups. GRIT is a “girls riding together” component. Elevate is a race for special needs students.

When the dust settled Oct. 13, the Brighton team hoisted the fourth-place trophy. The second-place individual finish was by standout freshman Cole Horner. l

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Brighton High mountain biking teams. (Photo courtesy Kimball High)

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Second-place finisher Cole Horner. (Photo courtesy Mike Knapp)

Page 14 | December 2021

Cottonwood Heights City Journal

Author writes children’s book about appreciating everyday gifts

By Gigi Smith | g.smith@mycityjournals.com

What’s your legacy?

A

uthor Miriam Aiazzi reflected on how reading beautiful stories with great messages make such an impact on a reader and create beautiful memories. Such is the case with her recently published book “Windy’s Big Adventure.” Its message for young readers is to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

After immigrating to New York City from South Africa, Aiazzi, a school teacher, talked of writing a children’s book. With an idea in mind, Aiazzi wrote a story and illustrated it before asking her friend, Mother Mae, to edit it and let her know what she thought. This is where the story could have ended.

It was 10 years later when Aiazzi received a call from the now 83-year-old Mother Mae, who during the call, mentioned that she had found “Windy’s Big Adventure” while cleaning out a drawer. Mother Mae continued the conversation, telling Aiazzi that not only did she find the book, but that she thought it was good enough to be published. Because the book had been forgotten about for a decade, Aiazzi wasn’t sure if Mother Mae was remembering correctly. But, by the end of the call, Mother Mae confirmed that the block handwriting was definitely

by Aiazzi, and complimented her on how cute the illustrations were.

When Aiazzi initially wrote “Windy’s Big Adventure” she didn’t have an age group in mind, but rather the desire to better understand what was happening in her own life. There was a lot of change and she wasn’t sure if her decision to move from New York to Utah was about being unhappy, about needing a change or just seeking something different in her life.

After putting her story on paper, Aiazzi wanted to share the idea that

Miriam Aiazzi holds her recently published book.

(Photo courtesy Miriam Aiazzi)

every day people are offered adventures and gifts. These small adventures and gifts are not always easy to spot and occasionally people need to take the time to look for and find the little blessings in their lives instead of always expecting the big things. She says that it is especially important and relevant now as we live each day during a pandemic to appreciate the small things and look for the positive.

Aiazzi dedicated “Windy’s Big Adventure” to her friend Mother Mae and the book was released in July 2021. “Windy’s Big Adventure” can be found within the Canyons School District, online through Amazon and at Barnes and Noble. Aiazzi is excited that her idea has come to life and humbled by the positive response that “Windy’s Big Adventure” has gotten from children and adults inspiring more of Windy’s adventures from the author. l

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Brighton volleyball finishes 20-11, takes eighth at state Photo by Justin Adams

J

unior Elizabeth Sheffield sets the ball for senior outside hitter Graysen Trupp against Northridge in the second round of the playoffs. Though the Bengals fell to the ninth-seeded Knights, Brighton rebounded

in the consolation bracket to end up eighth overall, beating Timpanogos and Box Elder before falling to Lehi. Brighton finished the year 20-11 and second in region behind Skyline at 9-3. l

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Cottonwood Heights City Journal

CottonCrest mountain biking team improves at state, athletes recognized for more than riding

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

F

or CottonCrest mountain biking coach Anthony Stowe, it’s hard to pick just one season highlight, even amongst the 18 student-athletes who biked at state.

For example, Cottonwood High senior Rachel Arlen had a crash at the start, got up and rode. On her second lap she dropped a chain, fixed it and rode on, even passing other riders before the finish.

“She finished her race despite the odds being against her—amazing sportsmanship and perseverance, fantastic athlete,” he said.

AMES sophomore Jacob Arens lined up 96th and finished 61st making up 35 spots.

“He is excited to be moving up to JVA next year and varsity as a future goal,” Stowe said.

Another proud moment for the team was when Cottonwood senior Georgia Barry won a $1,000 board of directors’ scholarship based upon her personal battle with self-image. The senior rode in her last high school race at state.

“She is a team captain. She is a captain because she really knows who she is and why she rides. For her, it’s not about the win.

It’s about the love, the environment, getting

outside, enjoying the beauty and sharing all of it with her friends and family. I have learned more about coaching, equity and equality from Georgia than anyone else, a great young woman,” Stowe said.

Hillcrest riders also made great strides.

Junior Kenna Stowe passed 33 girls in her JVA race and junior Josie Paul in JVB made up 35. Junior Porter Bach moved up 78 positions bridging the five-minute gap between split 2 and 3. Sophomore Kolby Butler had “another amazing race,” knocking 26 of his competitors for a 114th place finish out of 203 riders in the boys JVA race.

“We had some insane racing,” said Stowe, who placed fifth in the first-ever head coach race, edging out 2020 Olympian Haley Batten. “Our freshman boys had a crazy battle and some changes in placement that were surprising.”

That included Cottonwood freshman Joe Evans beating 22 athletes and nearly catching Hillcrest’s A.J. Call, who finished as the CottonCrest freshman boys’ leader in 37th place. Evans finished 10 seconds later in 38th place. l

CottonCrest captain Georgia Barry smiles as she finishes the season’s first race at Solider Hollow. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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Donate, decorate, drink hot cocoa at December’s city-sponsored events

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

A

handful of festive events and contests will be hosted by Cottonwood Heights this year. Residents can donate gifts during Sub for Santa, attend Light the Heights, and participate in a home decorating contest.

Cottonwood Heights’ annual “Subs for Santa” is currently asking for donations.

Residents can sign up for individual gifts to donate through the city’s website before Monday, Dec. 6. Then, unwrapped donations can be delivered to Cottonwood Heights City Hall (2277 Bengal Blvd.) by Dec. 8 at 5 p.m.

Santa will be available to visit with families virtually from Nov. 29 through Nov. 30. Sign up to meet with Santa through the city’s website.

On Monday, Nov. 29, Cottonwood Heights will host their annual Light the Heights event at City Hall (2277 Bengal Blvd.). They will display the city’s decorative lights for the first time this year and a sing-along with Santa will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

In addition, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30

Residents can visit virtually with Santa this year. Sign-up is through the Cottonwood Heights City website.

(Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)

p.m., Nana’s Sonoran Hotdogs will be serving dinner and free hot chocolate. A musical performance will be ongoing in conjunction with the tree lighting.

In conjunction with the event, Cottonwood Heights is running a Light the Heights decorating contest which will run from Nov. 26 until Dec. 9. Residents can enter the contest for free, so their decorated homes can be considered for the following categories: best business/organization, best use of inflatables, best use of technology, best theme, most colorful, most traditional, and most creative or unique.

Each category winner will receive a

The annual Light the Heights event will take place on Nov. 29 at Cottonwood Heights City Hall. Come get some free hot chocolate! (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)

Page 18 | December 2021

$100 gift card to a local business. Judges will be evaluating “curb appeal” with elements visible from the front of the building. Entries will be evaluated for exterior decorations only, including those visible from windows.

Entries should be submitted no later than Thursday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. Winners of the decorating contest will be announced on Dec. 17, after judges have evaluated the entries during the second week of December.

For more information on any of these events, visit: www.cottonwoodheights. utah.gov. l

New this year, a decorating contest will be hosted and judged by Cottonwood Heights city. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)

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Cottonwood Heights City Journal

Brighton welcomes girls to new wrestling team

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By Jerry Christensen | j.christensen@mycityjournals.com

here’s a new option on the sports circuit for Brighton High School girls— UHSAA-sanctioned competitive girls wrestling.

This new team sport represents the fastest growing segment of the sport of wrestling. Up until 2020, girls interested in wrestling would simply join the male-dominated wrestling team that has long been a staple of Utah high school athletic programs.

The mats in Brighton’s new wrestling room have been well used this winter with two youth teams, the 25-member boys wrestling team and a team of 10 girls.

Eseta Tuileta was among the first to sign up. “I joined wrestling this year because my rugby coach is also my wrestling coach and the other wrestling coach encouraged me to start wrestling because he saw that I had a lot of potential. My favorite part is that it’s a challenge spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. And I get to have an outlet for all of the things that I really need to work on in my life.”

Stefani Hidalgo, a junior, said she joined the wrestling team because her coach convinced her to do it. “And I just felt like it was a good opportunity to do something.

The girls in the wrestling team, they’re really

CottonwoodHeightsJournal .com

good. They help you learn a lot and it’s just a good environment.”

The coaches—Bronson Weaver and Christine Yee—both teachers at Brighton were quick to embrace the newly sanctioned sport and are dedicated to making girls wrestling a life-shaping experience. In the wrestling room, the girls are likely to learn about life skills like tenacity and self-discipline alongside wrestling skills like take downs, reversals and cradles.

“I am here to teach wrestling basics complete with determination, resiliency and a pinch of grit,” Weaver said.

Micah Murdock, a captain on the boys wrestling team, crosses over to help coach Weaver with the start-up team. “I wanted to help (coach Weaver) out because he’s helped me out and a whole bunch of people. He helps people with grades and all sorts of stuff.

He’s just a genuinely nice guy, and he wants everyone to be the best that they can. So, I was willing to help him with everything he needs to do.”

Brighton’s commitment to this new sport will be evident as the Utah Girls Wrestling Divisional Tournament with be held in the new Brighton athletic building in February 2022. l

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As Utah’s Unemployment Rate Hits Record Low, Lack of Labor Lingers

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist Utah’s unemployment rate hit the lowest level ever recorded in October. The Utah Department of Workforce Services’ most recent jobs report, released in November, shows that only 2.2% of the state’s workers are unemployed and actively looking for work. This historic low comes only 18 months after the state’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 10.4% in April 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

Utah’s job recovery from such a massive disruption has been impressive. Our state’s two-year job growth leads the nation at 3.7%, compared to a 2.2% job decline nationally. The state has added 58,500 jobs added over the past two years, with the construction; financial activities; and trade, transportation and utilities sectors growing the fastest.

This job growth is limited, however, by the lack of available labor. Utah, like the rest of the nation, is struggling to find workers to fill job openings. A recent analysis from The Pew Charitable Trusts found that the ratio of jobs-to-jobless in Utah is more than

Utah Unemployment Rate at Record Low 13.0% 12.0% 11.0% 10.0% 9.0% 8.0% 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% October 2.0% 2021 1.0% 2.2% 0.0% 1/1/00 1/1/02 1/1/04 1/1/06 1/1/08 1/1/10 1/1/12 1/1/14 1/1/16 1/1/18 1/1/20 Source: Utah Department of Workforce Statistics

2 to 1. Many residents who dropped out of the workforce during the pandemic have not returned. Even so, the labor force participation rate – an estimate of what percent of the state’s population is working or looking for a job – is the fifth highest in the nation. Labor force participation remained steady from September to October at 67.9%, though still below the 68.6% of two years ago in October 2019.

The very tight labor market continues to cause wage pressure. Nationally, average hourly earnings were 4.9% higher in

October, compared to one year ago. This wage inflation, which is a welcome trend for workers, is placing more strain on employers, who are facing both the labor shortage and continued supply chain struggles.

Despite these challenges, Utah’s economy – and the U.S. economy – continue to improve and recover. More people are returning to work as the latest wave of the delta variant of the Coronavirus subsides, vaccination rates increase, and the impact of enhanced unemployment benefits ends. l

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I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus

T

he holidays have arrived. Snow is falling, candles are aglow, the smell of cinnamon wafts through the air, and somewhere in Utah a middle-aged woman is screaming at a Walmart cashier because the store is out of the candied cherries she puts in her fruit cake.

Blame the supply chain, but it’s not just dried fruit running low; it’s patience, compassion and the ability to be a nice human being. If you’re on TikTok, along with videos of flying reindeer and holiday proposals, you’ll see flight attendants being punched, teachers yelling at students, customers throwing coffee at baristas and whales capsizing kayaks. Even whales have had enough.

You’d think being isolated last year would make us happier to interact with fellow humans this holiday season, but it seems to be the opposite. Social distancing and isolation has taken our stress levels to nuclear proportions. We’re reacting like the Tasmanian Devil, whirling ourselves off a cartoon cliff.

News programs broadcast warnings about packages stolen from porches and backseats, felons posing as Salvation Army bell-ringers and spiteful elves spying on children and reporting back to Santa.

Poor Kris Kringle will deliver a lot of coal this year . . . well, not coal because it’s

Life

Laughter AND

by

PERI KINDER

destroying the planet. Maybe since wind power is a sustainable coal alternative, Santa can bring naughty people a stiff, gusty breeze.

We’re living in a heightened state of fear, and fear is the opposite of what we should feel this time of year. This season of love and light and joy has been co-opted by those who would divide us. The farther apart we get, the less we are able to see each other.

Here’s an idea. What if we put all talk of politics on hold for December? That would be one month of no talking heads and finger-pointing and dire social media memes. What if we vowed to share only positive stories and heartwarming videos, and ban all holiday music featuring Alvin

and the Chipmunks?

Let’s use this time to digest more than nine pounds of mashed potatoes and three types of pie. Let’s digest how we’ve treated each other during the last year, and try to do better. Even I, a freakin’ humor columnist, have received more angry emails and phone calls in 2021 than the previous 17 years combined.

Whether it’s Democrats, Republicans, Big Bird, mask mandates, cancel culture or fruitcake, our division is growing. Any day, I’m expecting leaflets to be flung out of helicopters explaining how the COVID vaccine is turning us into carnivorous, zombie dinosaurs. Aren’t you tired of it all?

Remember when Christmas meant acts of service and goodwill to all mankind? What can you do to return to love this holiday season? Maybe less judgement and more connection. Maybe less yelling and more listening. Maybe it’s taking a plate of homemade cookies to a neighbor. Maybe it’s building a bridge instead of a wall. Maybe it's apologizing and swallowing our inflated egos.

This holiday season, it’s your job to love your neighbor, even the one you don’t agree with. Even the ones yelling at the Walmart cashier. They might need the most love of all.

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BRIGHTON MATH TEACHER SHOWS 16-YEAR RESILIENCY PREPARING FOR BOSTON MARATHON

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

n October, Brighton High math teacher Afton Brown took a couple days off and slipped away before the weekend with a neighbor to Boston.

It wasn’t for a “girls’ getaway,” but rather, the two were running the Boston Marathon.

Brown didn’t say much to her colleagues or students for fear it wouldn’t happen, because she had been down that road before.

“It’s taken me like 16 years to get to Boston,” she said. “I wasn’t going to jinx myself and tell anybody that I was running, because after all this time, what if I wasn’t?”

Brown’s first marathon was in 2000 when she ran Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota soon after graduating from Jordan High.

She also ran the Salt Lake City Marathon, but she didn’t start aiming for the Boston Marathon until 2005 when she was trying for a qualifying time of 3:40. Instead, she ran a 3:44 at the St. George Marathon, “so I gave up running marathons. It was way too much time and effort.”

Fast forward 10 years when her neighbor, Susanna Messinger, became her running partner and Brown learned she didn’t put in as much effort as she thought with her previous marathon training.

“We run every morning and she convinced me to try to qualify again,” Brown said, adding

$

that they typically would run 50 miles per week with some speed work mixed into the endurance runs. “So, we did the Utah Valley Marathon in 2018 and I ran a qualifying time. I ran 3:35 and the qualifying time was still 3:40.”

However, even though Brown’s time was fast enough to register, it doesn’t guarantee entry into the race.

“Depending on how many people register, the time drops, and the qualifying time was dropped so I didn’t make it by 12 seconds; so once again, my time was too slow,” she remembered. “It’s heartbreaking because I don’t know, I thought for sure I was in and I told people, ‘Hey, I made it into Boston’ and I really didn’t.”

Still determined, Brown ran the 2019 Ogden Marathon and finished with a time of 3:29.68, but this time, the qualifying time was faster at 3:35.

“It gave me a five-minute buffer and I was fast enough to get in (the lottery). I got a confirmation that I made it and my running partner made it and we trained through all winter. Then, like everything else, the race (set for spring 2020) got canceled and rescheduled for fall 2020, which of course, didn’t happen. They bumped it again, and cut the field size significantly,” she said.

Continued page 11

After 16 years of trying to run the Boston Marathon, Brighton High math teacher Afton Brown completed it in her best time. (Photo courtesy of Marathonfoto)

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