Sandy City Journal | February 2023

Afteryears of discussion, many things are still unknown about the future of the Alta Canyon Sports Center. What amenities will it have, exactly how much it will cost, will it continue to be funded by a special taxing district, and will it even remain in the same location? These questions have yet to be answered, but one aspect has been decided: on Jan. 3 the Sandy City Council voted to rebuild rather than renovate Alta Canyon.

Alta Canyon is a community-based sports center located at 9565 S. Highland Drive. It offers fitness classes and personal training as well as access to a weight room, cardio room, racquetball/basketball courts and an outdoor swimming pool.

Use of the center has declined steadily since 2018, but Sandy leaders, staff and residents have been discussing the need to update the center for decades. In 2021, the City Council hired a consulting firm called AECOM to assess the condition of the building, consider the results from community input and develop four design concepts.

The council narrowed the designs down to two: Option B, a remodel and addition estimated to cost $35 million; and Option D, a rebuild estimated to cost $43 million. The vote for Option D was nearly unanimous, with six council members in favor of rebuilding and one, Councilmember Ryan Mecham, voting “present.”

“The current location works well for the people in the district,” Mecham said. “Not addressing if we’re keeping the

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

“Dozens of doctors told me that there was nothing more that they could do to expect to be in a wheel chair. I went from the top 1% in the army Special Forces to being in so much pain that I could not tie my shoe or hold my new daughter. I did physical therapy and pain killers for years, but nothing worked. Finally, I went to Dr. Smith and I improved exactly as he told me I would. I couldn’t believe it! My wife cried, “I have my husband back.”

—Steve M., Army Special Forces

Smith D.C. CSCS Chiropractic Physician

Albion Middle teacher librarian and media specialist Bridget Rees may be one of young adult fiction author Neal Shusterman’s biggest fans. She began reading his work in 2007, two years after the writer won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

When the writer, who now has written 50 novels, posted on Instagram that he would travel the country to talk to students and sign his newest book, “Gleanings,” Rees jumped through hoops to bring him to the Sandy school. She also shared the information with other area librarians so he also spoke at nearby Alta High, Midvale’s Hillcrest High, Draper’s Corner Canyon High, and at South Jordan Middle School.

While many Albion seventh- and eighth-graders were familiar with Shusterman’s writing, some Albion faculty and staff weren’t, including Assistant Principal Justin Matagi, who listened to one of his books on a family trip during fall break.

“This is a good opportunity for students to get a glimpse and learn what it takes to be the best of the craft,” he said. “I’ve had 50 students come up to me who are excited to read what he has written and were looking forward to his visit, so it’s hard not to fall in love with that enthusiasm.”

Instead of lecturing students, Shusterman engaged them to ask questions. He talked about the writing process to collaborating with other authors on “Gleanings” (which he said he may write a prequel to) to writing for film as his 2017 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, “Scythe,” which he said was in development as a feature film with Universal Studios.

Shusterman also has written for TV, including the Original Disney Channel movie, “Pixel Perfect,” which was filmed in the Salt Lake City area.

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Writing isn’t easy, author tells students

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

The Brooklyn, New York-born author, who once lived in Florida and answered that he does not have a pet alligator, now lives in Southern California. He said the inspiration for his books comes from various places, including basing his book, “Dry,” in the neighborhood where his kids grew up.

“It was fun writing a story in a familiar place. My kids grew up in this gated community, Dove Canyon, and it required less research because we knew the meaning of the streets and we knew the schools; it was really interesting writing a story that took place in the high school where my kids went to,” he said. “I’ve always tried to include places that I’ve been or places that I’ve lived in the stories that I write because I think writing from experience sometimes means writing about places that you’ve been.”

Shusterman said the inspiration for “Unwind” came from three different places.

“Sometimes an idea is a common one or several different things you sort of build together. First, there was a headline of an article that caught my attention. ‘Why is England afraid of their teenagers?’”

Shusterman said that it was during an economic downturn in the United Kingdom so when students graduated from school, there wasn’t work for them and they hung around, and many got in trouble. Eventually, the government passed a law which told them, “It’s OK to get rid of your unwanted teenage people,” he said.

The second part the inspiration for “Unwind” was from a team of researchers studying the psychology of the American voting system.

“Why is it that we choose our candidates? What is the core of each of our decisions? They interviewed hundreds of people, and they asked them why they chose their candidates,” he said and learned more

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about their responses.

The third part of the book’s inspiration came from an article on transplants and interviewed a woman in France who had “a terrible thing happened to her face when she was mauled by a dog, and they couldn’t repair it.” She would go through life with a scar, or they could do “radical surgery for the world’s first face transplant from a target donor face,” Shusterman said, and read about the controversy about using another human being’s face.

“I started thinking about all of the medical issues, these issues of ethics, and how do we decide what to make that decision?”

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he said. “Suddenly, I connected with these other stories, and rather than looking at this side versus this side, I’m tried to point out that when we try to look at it from a new perspective, that doesn’t divide us, it’s the only way we’re ever going to resolve these issues. My story is an anti-political spin, trying to break that deadlock that we have not just one issue, but on all the issues, and points out that when we find ways of looking at it from new points of view, we have hopes of solving these very complicated issues, instead of looking at them simplistically.”

Although Shusterman outlined “Un-

Our

Instead of lecturing students, Neal Shusterman engaged Albion Middle School students to ask questions, which ranged from writing and editing to specific details in his best-selling young adult books. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

wind,” “the plot always changes as I’m working on in terms of true events. I do a lot of research even when I’m writing something that is science fiction and fantastical subjects,” he said, adding that he goes through six drafts of his books before he submits it to his editor, starting with writing the first one by hand.

“When I write it into a notebook, it forces me to do a rewrite as I’m typing into the computer,” he said, adding that he still has those first drafts stored in his garage, but is considering giving them to the Ted Hipple Collection of Young Adult Literature at University of Southern Florida’s Tampa campus.

Shusterman will read his third draft out loud.

“I read it out loud to myself because the experience of hearing your words is different enough from the experience of reading silently on the page, that you get a whole new perspective altogether different based on how it sounds,” he said.

One of the last preliminary drafts is to share it with friends, teachers and students who act as a focus group and uses those comments to help him finalize it before submitting it with his editor, who often finds more for him to revise.

When asked about writer’s block, Shusterman simply answered, “I don’t believe in writer’s block.”

Then he explained, “The real part of writing is the hard part, those days where you can’t figure out what you’re doing, what’s not working, where you just feel like you have to bang your head against the wall to get ideas out. If you call that writer’s block, that’s an excuse for not working through the hard part of writing. If you just understand that that difficult part is just an ordinary expected part of the writing process, you’ll be able to take a breath and work your way through. It might take time. You might be stuck on the same chapter for a week, for a month. That’s expected. That’s normal. It’s not a block. It’s just a normal part of the process.”

Shusterman said that he hopes students learn “nothing is done the first time you write it and how important rewriting is; and how important reading is in general as it gives you perspective on the world.”

He also shared with students that he’s had fun naming his characters, which often come from his readers and fans who follow him on social media.

“I post a character and then I go away for about an hour. When I come back I have 1,000 different responses. I’ll go through every single name and I’ll choose a number of them. I may use somebody’s first name and somebody else’s last. What’s really fun is when I am at a book signing and someone comes up to me and says, you named that character after me. It’s nice to be able to sort of give that back,” Shusterman said.

While he likes introducing characters, Shusterman said it was hard to eliminate

some of those he has developed when it is necessary.

“There was a character in ‘Unwind’ that I was going to kill off and I didn’t have the heart to,” he added.

While Shusterman somewhat dodged the answer about having a favorite book, he said that “Challenger Deep,” which won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, is a deep story about mental illness.

“It was inspired by my son’s experiences with mental illness, so it’s very close to my heart,” he said.

Shusterman grew up reading Roald Dahl books and the Lord of the Rings series, but said when he first read “The Shining” by Stephen King, “it scared the heck out of me. I remember sleeping with the lights on for weeks.”

However, between being excited about stories and characters Roald Dahl came up with to learning how King’s book kept him turning pages, Shusterman knew writing was what he wanted to do.

His first story in ninth grade was inspired by Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster, “Jaws,” that had recently opened.

“I went to see the movie on opening day, and I remember saying to myself I want to be Steven Spielberg. I want to be able to come up with stories that can capture people’s imaginations and keep them on the edges of their seats. I wrote my first story and I remember thinking writing was fun. The story was like ‘Jaws’ where you’re swimming in the ocean and this giant jellyfish would attack you and paralyze you and drag it down to the bottom,” he said.

Shusterman shared it with his first-year teacher; she told him, “I love the story that you wrote. I’m going to send it to the prin-

cipal.’ Then, I got a yellow slip from the principal’s office to see him immediately. Now, the yellow slips were the bad ones. So, I think ‘great, it’s only my first week of school and I’m going to get myself suspended because the principal wants to make an example out of me because it’s inappropriate to write this kind of gross, gory story in school.”

Instead of being reprimanded, the principal told him, his story will represent the school in a district story contest.

A few months later, when his English teacher announced the winners, he said, “I didn’t get first place; I didn’t get second place or third place. I didn’t get any one of the 30 honorable mentions. I got nothing and I was crushed. I felt humiliated. I said, ‘I am never going to do this again.’ Then, she came up to me and said, ‘Do you want to be a writer? Great. This is your first lesson as a writer; it’s called rejection. Deal with it.’”

Shusterman then took up the challenge she presented him to write one story per month for the rest of the school year.

“By the end of ninth grade, I felt like a writer, and I haven’t stopped writing ever since,” he said, adding that he dedicated a novel to her and presented her a collection of his autographed books.

“As we go through school, you’re all going to find that you have teachers that have a powerful influence over your lives. For me, my ninth-grade English teacher was one of those teachers. She challenged me to believe in myself. And from that moment on, I just kept on writing and getting rejected, and writing and getting rejected, and writing and getting rejected,” he said. “It takes determination to succeed, and it helps when you have someone who believes in you like my English teacher believed in me.” l

Best-selling young adult author Neal Shusterman answered questions about his novels at Hillcrest High School. (Photo courtesy of Abigail Slama-Catron)

district or making it citywide sidesteps an important question. There is still an issue of District 1 paying for a rec center that is hard for my constituents to get to.”

The council members who did vote for Option D were in agreement that the price difference wasn’t big enough to risk the unknowns of remodeling. Both options would add an additional 50,000 square feet and keep the outdoor pool more or less as it is. Added to the resolution was the expectation of capping the total budget at $40 million.

In September 2022, the Sandy City Council approved up to $20 million to renovate or rebuild Alta Canyon. At that meeting several residents spoke, asking the Council not to prioritize recreation over other city needs.

Before the council voted on whether to remodel or rebuild, Councilmember Cyndi Sharkey presented information about the possibility of raising money through multi-million dollar donations from individuals, corporations or foundations. Large enough gifts could come with the option to have all or part of the new center named after them.

“We voted in 20 million, plus naming rights, which should bring in between 15 and 18 million,” Sharkey said. “My goal is not to go to taxpayers. We could make up the shortfall by selling that property next to it. We need to stay within a budget.”

“I support Option D,” said Councilmember Marci Houseman. “I have a history of buying homes because of their potential, hoping the remodel will stay within a certain budget—and it doesn’t ever. You discover other things you didn’t know were there. The costs of remodeling will climb.”

“I fully understand that we need a city versus district conversation,” said Councilmember Zach Robinson, who represents District 3 where Alta Canyon is located. “I’m intrigued by the conversation about moving the center. But either way I think the new build is the way to go. I don’t think the building could withstand a major renovation.”

Endurance

On a Tuesday morning in late November, most of the Alta Canyon Sports Center hummed with activity. One crowd of yoga students dispersed as another gathered. A woman lifted weights with the guidance of a personal trainer, and a group of preschoolers chased balls around a racquetball court. Other parts of the building were silent and unused, like a hot tub tiled over years ago because of a lack of funds to hire staff to supervise it.

The daily admittance numbers, not including the kids programs, are typically around 125-150 in the winter and 400-500 in the summer according to Dan Medina, the director of Sandy City Parks and Recreation.

While the center is well-loved and still plenty used, it’s clear that the condition of

the aging building might deter users. Still, the staff has done all they can to adapt. Administrative offices were squeezed into a smaller space to make room for weight lifting equipment. A corner of the men’s locker room was remodeled to be a classroom. Cardio machines fill a former racquetball court. Equipment is stored in stairwells.

“They won’t tell you this, but (the parks and recreation staff) are just the most patient and creative employees we have in terms of continuing to make do with what we have,” Houseman said in November 2022. “They are working in suboptimal surroundings that in some cases could be considered dangerous.”

Heating and cooling is a constant struggle.

“In the winter it was hard to get some rooms above 65 degrees,” said Lois Stillion, the Alta Canyon Sports Center manager, in November 2022. She had recently installed a mini split—a device that heats or cools small areas—in the aerobics room and the preschool area using grant money.

“If the fan breaks down in the heating system, we’re toast,” Medina said. “We couldn’t get the parts needed to repair it.”

A plan to renovate and expand the center was ready to go more than a decade ago, but was scaled back after the financial slowdown in 2008. The city was able to make some improvements to the center, including new tile to replace hard-to-clean carpeting in the locker rooms. They also added a slide and splash pad near the outdoor pool and installed a turnstile to help cut down on staffing needs. No major improvements have been made since the center opened in 1984.

Reaction Time

Alta Canyon is open from 5:30 a.m. on weekdays (6:30 a.m. on Saturdays) until 8:30 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The center offers a preschool, a before- and

after-school program with more than 30 elementary students currently enrolled and summer camps for kids ages 3-15.

Fitness classes range from cycling to Pilates to Zumba and all instructors have been trained and certified in their respective specialties. Members get a discount on single classes and have the option to purchase access to unlimited classes.

The cost of annual memberships range from $445 for a family living outside the tax district to $200 for a single senior or student living within the service area boundaries. Whether they have a membership or not, households in the service area pay an additional annual property tax to help fund the center. The boundaries (approximately 8600 South to 10400 South and 1300 East to 3500 East) were determined in 1981. Around one third of Sandy residents and 73% of Alta Canyon’s members live in the tax district.

“For the most part, a majority of my constituency is quite supportive of Alta Canyon,” said Robinson. “When we were out campaigning last year, Alta Canyon was a high priority item in the platform I was pushing out the community, and it was really well received. I’ve been contacted by people looking for support for the center. I’ve also been contacted by people who think the city shouldn't be doing anything with the center. But mostly, people support it.”

In Sandy’s 2022 budget, Alta Canyon’s expenses exceeded revenue by over $200,000. Staffing costs make up the largest portion of the budget and have stayed about the same since 2020. The budgets for 2020 and 2021 were propped up with COVID-19 relief funds, a source that is no longer available.

Balance

Alta Canyon is Sandy’s only city-run

recreation center. Just south of the tax district, at 10670 S. 1000 East, is the Dimple Dell Recreation Center, which opened in 2000. This center is operated by Salt Lake County and was built using the Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) fund. Dimple Dell offers more features than Alta Canyon currently does, including a climbing wall, indoor track and pools and drop-in child care.

Alta Canyon staff applied for ZAP funding in 2005 and 2015 and were denied both times, according to Sandy City’s website.

“There is Dimple Dell and Cottonwood Heights (Recreation Center), and both of them are bursting at the seams,” Robinson said. “They’re always full. That proves that recreation in communities is important. I don’t think the two centers detract from Alta Canyon. I can see people from those communities coming here if we program it right.”

Several respondents to the community survey in 2021 said they live near Alta

Alta Canyon Sports Center offers around 35 group classes a week, from cycling to circuit training. (Photo courtesy Sandy City Parks & Recreation)

One racquetball court at Alta Canyon has been converted into a cardio room. (Photo courtesy Sandy City Parks & Recreation)

Lack of storage space has led Alta Canyon staff to find creative solutions. (Sarah Morton Taggart/ City Journals)

Alta Canyon Sports Center opens.

Sandy City takes over operations of Alta Canyon, while the Tax District maintains financial responsibility.

Alta Canyon staff applies for ZAP funding to renovate the center and are turned down.

The City Council and ACSC board approves a small tax increase in the district.

Sandy City prepares to renovate and expand Alta Canyon, but drastically cuts back plans due to economic factors.

Alta Canyon staff applies for ZAP funding to renovate the center and are again turned down.

Overall use of Alta Canyon begins to decline.

Alta

Canyon adapts to COVID-19 restrictions

The City Council votes to disband the ACSC board, assumes all decision-making authority, and creates a new special committee composed of Sandy residents to advise the City Council.

The City Council approves up to $20 million to renovate or rebuild Alta Canyon.

The City Council votes to rebuild Alta Canyon.

Canyon but have stopped going there and pay more for a membership at Cottonwood Heights.

Coordination

There are two other major capital projects on the horizon that need funding: Fire Station 31 and phase three of the Public Works facility. In September 2022, the City Council allocated $7 million to build phase two of Public Works, $1 million to design the fire station and $3 million to design Alta Canyon. More recently, the Salt Lake County Tourism, Recreation, Culture & Convention Support Program (TRCC) awarded $494,000 to Sandy to create a conceptual design for a rebuilt community recreation center.

“My vision is Alta Canyon as the centerpiece of the community,” Robinson said.

“I want a center that has value for all Sandy residents; something that our entire community will be a part of and feel they can come to.”

In the meantime, Alta Canyon will keep chugging along, ringing with the shouts of swimmers in the summer and bouncing basketballs in the winter. At least, that is, unless the boiler goes out.

“The center right now is kind of held together with duct tape,” Robinson said. “If we don’t make significant investments, something catastrophic will happen. By catastrophic I mean a massive capital expense that will end up wasting taxpayer dollars. There is an urgency to make a decision and move forward. We need to be quick but also slow and methodical at the same time.” l

The City Council votes to create The Alta Canyon Tax District to build Alta Canyon Sports Center and four parks. A seven-member board is created to represent the Tax District residents.

Alta High’s Shabestari receives UHSAA music honor as he directs at his alma mater

When Caleb Shabestari was an Alta High student, playing tenor saxophone in band was where he flourished.

“I was one of those kids who thrived in band and didn’t with everything else,” he said. “Academics were harder for me, but I thrived in band with the creativity it gave me. I made a lot of friends there even though it was hard to make friends as I had social anxiety when I was 15 years old. I really kind of found my home here in the band.”

Fast forward a few years and Shabestari returned to his alma mater as an assistant to his band director, Bill Mattingly, who had just started the return of the school’s marching band.

“I looked up to my band director so much, and I knew I wanted to teach band for my life. I went to school for it, but I never thought I would be teaching here, and little did I know I would take over for him,” said the University of Utah graduate.

It’s been 10 years since Shabestari returned to Alta and the music program has grown both in numbers and recognition, including earning a state marching band title in 2014, all while giving students that same sense of “home” he felt as a student.

That hasn’t gone unnoticed. On Jan. 11, the Utah High School Activities Association executive committee member Craig Morris recognized Shabestari with a wooden plaque as 2022 music educator of the year.

“I really love that he went back to his alma mater and is giving back to a program that meant so much to him and is trying to provide that same experience and opportunity for the kids at Alta High School,” Morris said. “There’s no greater way to show appreciation and impact for the experiences that you had in education, then going back and choosing to do that as well.”

It all came as a surprise to Shabestari.

“I didn’t know I was nominated, and I have no idea who nominated me, but it’s great to be recognized. My goal is to make sure my students are always having a good time and learning a little bit along the way too,” he said.

The award, Shabestari said, is a great “pat on the back,” but his passion is what drives his teaching and that’s the lesson he teaches his students as well.

“I tell my students all the time when we were competing at a festival or at a marching band contest that we’re never in this to win the hardware. Trophies are always secondary. I always try to teach intrinsic motivation, rather than extrinsic. We, my students and I, do what we do, because we’d love it,” he said.

Right now, that’s winter guard and winter drumline, which has a six-competition season capped with state championships on April 1 for winter guard and April 15 for the drumline. The drumline program at Alta began in 2015 under Shabestari, and the color guard program came the following year.

At the same time, it also means concerto night at 6 p.m., Feb. 23, which will feature nine student soloists.

Then, region and state contests are held this spring with jazz, band and percussion festivals in late March and orchestra in April.

Shabestari also is working on next season’s band and marching band program.

“We are planning a tour for 2024 to New York City,

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

which is going to be a lot of fun. We’re prepping for our marching band season and we’re going to compete in the Bands of America regional again in November. We are already talking about Canyons all-district marching band; it’s a really fun, big collaborative group that we do every summer with all the other district schools,” he said.

The 95-member marching band already has become known in the community and beyond. In 2017, under Shabestari’s direction, Alta High marched in Washington, D.C.’s national Memorial Day parade by invitation and in 2019, students were featured on the Disney+ television show, “High School Musical: The Series.”

Eventually, he wants Alta’s marching program to grow to 150 members and to compete at the Grand Championship Bands of America.

“Our marching band has thrived and I’m really proud of that aspect more so than the awards,” Shabestari said. “We’re having a positive effect on the community. Over the summer, when we’re marching through the neighborhoods and practicing, we will have parents and families run out in their lawn and just start dancing and singing and having fun. It’s really making an impact on our students, allowing an outlet for their creativity. A lot of these kids are shy, very introverted and needing a place like I did, and it’s really great to get them in an ensemble where they can thrive, be excited and just be happy with what they’re doing in high school.” l

UHSAA executive committee member Craig Morris congratulates Alta High’s instrumental music director Caleb Shabestari Jan. 11 as the music educator of the year. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Alta High’s instrumental music director Caleb Shabestari, seen here in February 2022, recently was named UHSAA music educator of the year. (Photo courtesy of Emmie Coggins)

Sandy runners help team to national championship

By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com

Sandy’s Bridget Smit (fifth from left) and Lydia Bell (third from left) helped their 13-14-year-old girls team to a national championship at the USATF Junior Olympics National Championships in College Station, Texas, Dec. 10. Bridget placed 84th among the 333 runners and finished in the sixth position on the seven-member Wolfpack Running Club Utah squad while Lydia came in 107th to round out the team’s placements. Sandy’s Teagan Harris and Matthew Coop earned All-American status in the meet—Teagan in the 11-12-year-old division, finishing seventh out of 350 runners, and Matthew in the 9-10-year-old race with a 22nd-place showing among 308 runners. Matthew’s finish helped his squad, which

also included Sandy’s Juan Mey, Nixon Rowe, Brock Madsen and Cooper Madsen, to a fourth-place finish. Other Sandy participants at nationals for the Wolfpack RC Utah program were Kathleen Mullen and Gabrielle Bealle who helped their team to a seventh-place finish in the 9-10-year-old division—just 20 points out of first place in the tight race. Also competing at nationals were Sandy residents Anneliese Mennitt, who came in 48th in the 8U event, Cooper Bullock (96th, 8U), Matthew Wong (117th, 8U), Zach Bealle (198th, 8U), Isaak Knutsen (258th, 13-14-year-olds) and Thomas Wong (351st, 13-14-year-olds). (Photo courtesy Teren Jameson)

Utah PTA sponsored statewide film contest promotes digital wellness with healthy use of technology

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Lastyear, an Eastmont Middle School sixth-grader claimed the top prize in the first Utah PTA digital wellness film contest, which was held only in the Canyons School District.

This year, the film contest is extended statewide to sixth- through 12th-grade students with the submission deadline March 15.

“The purpose of the video contest is to promote digital wellness and awareness and to promote healthy use of devices with students,” said Melinda Rosevear, Utah PTA Digital Wellness Committee member who is directing the video contest. “Our theme is ‘being safe, kind and responsible online.’ We wanted to make it broad so students can take any of those aspects they want to focus.”

Currently, information is being shared with career and technology education teachers in schools throughout the state.

“Every student in Utah is required to take the digital literacy class in eighth grade, unless parents choose to opt their student out, so that seems like a good place to get the word out to students,” she said. “I would love for the teachers who are already doing things in their eighthgrade digital literacy classes to participate in this.”

Last year, in its pilot year in Canyons

School District, many Albion Middle students in classes taught by CTE teacher Bethany Hanson participated.

“I’d say about 60% of our entries were from Albion Middle School because the digital literacy teacher there jumped on it and it caught the kids’ interest,” she said.

Rosevear said that Eastmont winner, Jake Despain, “really knows his technology. He had all these cool special effects, he was very concise and very creative in his message.”

The contest allows students to have an engaging way to teach and to learn.

“It’s more impactful when kids are teaching kids and when they’re using their creativity to convey a message about digital safety and awareness. It’s such a powerful tool when they use their own videos to help teach concepts and while they’re making the videos that helps them think about these issues that help them process what is appropriate, say what’s responsible and express that in a way that’s creative and uses technology for good,” she said.

The film, which has a maximum time length of 90 seconds, can be worked on as a group, but only one student will be allowed to enter it. If that student wins local or state prizes, which may be up to $500, it can be shared with other participants, she said, adding she appreciated the support of generous donors.

Rosevear said the idea emerged from when she held White Ribbon Week film contests as a PTA leader at Quail Hollow Elementary and Albion Middle School.

“I thought it would be fun to do a video contest because I think kids love to make movies and they love to use technology to express their ideas and their creativity. So, I thought how cool it would be for the kids to create videos and then to show those videos in the school,” she said.

Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as she planned.

“We had that video contest, and it was literally the week before COVID closed the schools. We still had winners, but we didn’t get to share the films in person. We may have put the videos on Canvas or something for other students to see,” she recalled.

When Rosevear proposed a film contest to the Utah PTA committee, “they loved the idea” so it was tested last year in Canyons District.

“Now we’re ready to roll it out to the whole state,” she said.

The Utah PTA Digital Wellness Committee, coordinated by Utah PTA Digital Wellness Specialist Linda Zenger, has about 15 digital citizenship and industry experts who will judge the entries. By the end of April, the committee will send certificates and winning prizes to students’ schools so they can be recognized at the school in front of their peers.

Students wishing to learn more about the video link may get additional information on the website, www.utahpta.org/video-contest. l

Eastmont Middle School Principal Stacy Kurtzhals (left) congratulated then sixth-grader Jake Despain on his win in the Utah PTA video contest along with Utah PTA Digital Wellness Specialist Linda Zenger and Utah PTA Digital Wellness Video Contest Director Melinda Rosevear. (Photo courtesy of Ann Despain)

Sandy Amphitheater receives funds for facility improvements

By Sarah Morton Taggart | s.taggart@mycityjournals.com

Patrons of the arts are used to seeing long lines leading to the ladies room during intermission, but at the Sandy Amphitheater the opposite has been true.

“There were twice as many women’s stalls when the amphitheater was first built,” said Elyse George, who manages marketing and development for the outdoor performance venue located at 440 E. 8680 South. “That was great for many, many years, but in 2019 the men’s lines started getting longer.”

George believes a few different factors may have contributed to the change, including longer shows—as long as five hours for headliner with two openers—and higher temperatures that lead patrons to consume more liquids. Whatever the cause, it was clear that improvements were needed.

In December, the Tourism, Recreation, Culture & Convention Support Program (TRCC) granted nearly one million dollars to Sandy City. Specifically, the amphitheater received $460,000 to improve guest services, Parks and Recreation received $47,000 to update its master plan for community parks and trails, and the Alta Canyon Sports Center received $494,000 to create a conceptual design for a rebuilt community recreation center.

The TRCC grant program uses funds from tax collected to support cultural and economic growth. Projects must have a tourism, recreational, cultural or convention purpose that serves the residents within Salt Lake County. Eligible organizations can apply for funds for consulting, tourism or capital expenses.

“With the expanded bathrooms and concessions, the goal is to reduce lines and reduce waiting, to make it more convenient, so you spend less time in line and more time enjoying the concert,” said Mearle Marsh, executive director of the Sandy Amphitheater.

Improvements for the 2023 season will include reconfiguring the restroom area to add five additional urinals to the men’s room and installing two additional water refill stations.

“We had received feedback from people about the water refill station,” George said. “Going from one to three is going to be significant. We don’t want people to have to buy water, but we also don’t want them having to spend the whole concert waiting to refill water bottles. The line can sometimes be longer than the line for concessions.”

The venue will also soon complete construction on additional backstage facilities for the performers and crew members.

“Often the crews would shower after the stars left, which meant late nights for our staff,” George said. “More showers and restroom stalls will also help us host bigger tours.”

The amphitheater was shuttered in 2020 but reopened with 15 concerts in 2021. The venue aims to host 35 events in 2023, maintaining a revenue of at least 150% of production costs.

The 2024 season will see even more improvements for patrons, including an expanded east plaza and a new concessions area.

“The mayor’s support in making this happen was fantastic,” Marsh said. “It was a big team effort and we’re really grateful for all the support we’ve received from the administration.”

Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski could often be found at the amphitheater in 2022—enjoying the music, chatting with volunteers during intermission, and even serving as the narrator for the American West Symphony’s performance of “Peter and the Wolf” in July.

“Access to quality entertainment, recreation and open space is a hallmark of excellence in Sandy City and what

attracts our many visitors,” said Zoltanski in a press release. “Support and collaboration with Salt Lake County will assist Sandy City in enhancing these services and strengthen our local economy.”

“I’m really proud of my team and the great work that they do,” Marsh said. “Everybody’s working hard to make sure it’s the best experience it can be at the Sandy Amphitheater.” l

As many as 3,000 people, including volunteers and staff, will use the facilities during a sold-out show at the Sandy Amphitheater. (Photo courtesy Elyse George)

The east plaza will be expanded and a new concessions area added in time for the 2024 season at the Sandy Amphitheater. (Photo courtesy Elyse George)

Men wait in line to use the restroom during a concert at the Sandy Amphitheater. (Photo courtesy Elyse George)

Journey of Hope brings meaningful change to trauma survivors

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

For 20 years, Shannon Miller-Cox served as a law enforcement officer so she could lock up dangerous people. As a survivor of childhood and adult sexual assault, she vowed to get perpetrators off the streets.

She came to realize the inequality in the justice system, where women in poverty had harsher sentences and were incarcerated longer than women of privilege. Miller-Cox retired from the police force and started Journey of Hope in 2014, a nonprofit serving abused and/or incarcerated women.

Jacey Thornton, Journey of Hope economic development lead, said the program saved her life. The nonprofit’s mission is to mentor women before and after they’re released from prison and help them navigate issues like housing, food and jobs, but also to support them as they move forward.

“We help them start their journey of hope and healing through peer support-led case management. It’s rewarding, it’s painful, it’s a lot of emotion, but as peers, we understand what they’ve been through,” Thornton said. “We provide the immaterial things like empowering women with a strength-based, power-centered focus to help them see how powerful they are. We really see people where they are and love them, without boundaries.”

Many women in the Journey of Hope program are breaking the cycles of generational trauma and changing the direction of their lives and the lives of their children. The organization is focused on ending the shame and the stigma that comes with a history of sexual and domestic abuse, incarceration, homelessness, mental illness.

Built on a platform of community, structure and safety, Journey of Hope’s mentors understand the correlation between childhood trauma, substance abuse and in-

carceration and addresses those aspects to help women find success.

“For these women, there’s no safety and no security. Our first thing is to help them feel safe and let them know we’re always here,” Thornton said. “I found as I’ve shared my story, it empowers others to be bold, to not fear what people think about them.”

Thornton’s life journey took a detour when she was arrested and incarcerated as a college student. As a first-generation college student, the experience destroyed her. She asked her corrections officers to help her find a way to finish her degree, and in the process she learned she was surrounded by beautiful and caring people.

When she was released from prison, she started Seeds of Hope, a nonprofit focused on a community garden where women could find power in horticulture therapy. As a transgender woman, she has stepped into her role as a mentor and encourages women to find their voice.

“When we say people are heroes or villains, we’re really simplifying the human experience. We’ve got to do better,” she said. “We’re human and make terrible mistakes, but we are so much more than the worst things we’ve ever done.”

Journey of Hope was recognized by SelectHealth for the work it does for women in the community. The group was awarded a $3,000 grant to further their mission.

“The SelectHealth Awards is designed to highlight the notable work and contributions of organizations that are making an incredible impact in our community,” said Marti Lolli, SelectHealth president and CEO. “These awards allow SelectHealth to continue to show support for key partners and organizations who have a shared mission and wake up every day thinking about how to make a difference in the communities we serve.”

Headquartered in Sandy at 8160 S. Highland Drive, Suite A-3, Journey of Hope has served hundreds of women across Salt Lake County. For more information, or to make a donation, visit JourneyOfHopeUtah. org.

“We walk alongside you and we provide in a way that no one else does,” Thornton said. “We’re here only to serve other people….They saved my life. We’ve lost so many lives in the last few years and it’s gut-wrenching.” l

From left, ABC 4’s “Good Things Utah” host Surae Chinn joins Jacey Thornton, Journey of Hope, economic development lead; Renee LeGrant, Journey of Hope executive director; and GTU host Nicea DeGering. Journey of Hope’s nonprofit platform received a $3,000 grant from SelectHealth for the work it does in the community. (Photo courtesy of Kimmi Wolf)

We help them start their journey of hope and healing through peer support-led case management. It’s rewarding, it’s painful, it’s a lot of emotion, but as peers, we understand what they’ve been through.

Jacey Thornton

Alta band program snags first-place regional win, provides ‘home’ to students

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

More than 300 hours per student was dedicated to their seven-minute halftime performance, but it paid off.

Recently, Alta High’s marching band snagged first place in the Bands of America western regional competition in St. George against 31 other bands in front of 10,000 people under the direction of drum majors and seniors Kelsey Fairbanks, Henry Stueber and Yves Wood. The Hawks also captured awards for top visuals and general effects.

Alta marching band director Caleb Shabestari was excited about their performance more than the placement.

“By the time we got to Bands of America, they had performed this show, probably 100 to 200 times so we weren’t teaching them the notes and rhythms or put your foot here; it was all about getting them focused for their last time,” Shabestari said.

The Hawks had placed fifth in their class the day before at state, then, competed at 9 a.m. at the Bands of America contest.

“We weren’t sure if the morning performance was going to be our last time or if we’d be asked back for the evening performance. We were first up, and our kids gave their whole heart to the morning performance. It was beautiful. It was by far their strongest of the whole season,” he said. “Then, we found out we were lucky enough to perform in the evening block, and we’d be the last band of the whole day, performing around 11 o’clock at night. The kids were exhausted, but they performed one last time and somehow, they topped their morning performance.”

The show was a return to the show, “From the Ashes,” first performed 10 years ago with the rebirth of Alta’s marching band; previously the school had a marching band, but it went dormant in the 1980s, Shabestari said. This year’s “To a Flame” sequel featured some of the same music from Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite,” but this year’s show featured about 50 more students than that first year.

Junior Parker Burns was one of the 95 members of Alta High’s marching band. It’s his third year participating.

“We had an amazing show this year,” he said. “Our show featured a phoenix, and it was a remembrance show; we realize where we started and now, we are seeing how much we have progressed. I love marching band because it’s such a tight-knit community and we’re working together on something we all love.”

Burns started playing alto saxophone as a sixth-grader because Albion Middle band teacher Jenni Perkins showed him the instrument, teaching him how to play a few notes from a Harry Potter song he loved.

“Mrs. Perkins taught a lot more advanced things that my peers from other schools didn’t know; she’s an amazing teacher,” he said. “She understands middle schoolers. If I needed to talk to a teacher, she was the teacher, and she still cares about her students even after middle school.”

Perkins was the one who introduced Burns to the summer Canyons All-District Marching Band, which includes Alta’s marching band and director, making that an easy transition for him.

Currently, Burns plays tenor in the marching band, wind symphony and jazz band. He also participated in this year’s 175-member Canyons All-District Marching Band, which marched in Sandy’s Fourth of July and Cottonwood Heights’ Butlerville Days parades.

Marching band’s competitive season started in late September and concluded in November. During the fall, Alta took third at the Bridgerland Band Invitational held at Utah State University.

“We have a motto to put everything out on the field and not to have any regrets, which I’ve tried to do every single competition. My freshman and sophomore year the nerves got to me a little bit, but this year, I felt a lot more confident in my abilities, knowing I could do what I need to do to be successful,” Burns said.

Next year, he wants to be a drum major, so he plans to audi

tion this winter.

“Band has been a very big part of me. It was the first experience I had with high school. It has helped me with being able to have a group of friends I could talk to and Mr. Shabestari, he’s an amazing teacher and he’s able to help me in more ways than my playing ability. I think as a drum major, I can be the best leader I can as I’ve appreciated that from other leaders I’ve had in my past,” he said.

Shabestari said not only do his drum majors direct on the field, but they are also in charge of operations and logistics, with much work behind the scenes.

“I always try to pick the strongest marchers, strongest musicians for these drum major positions,” he said.

Burns has autism, but he doesn’t ask for any special accommodations.

“I feel like I’ve been treated the same as any other band student, which is what prefer. I wouldn’t want to be given something just because they feel obligated to; I would want to do it based on my own skill,” he said. “I would honestly say that my autism pushes me forward because I’m able to focus more. I do get frustrated at times where I know I can play something, but it’s just not happening. I know when I concentrate, I can do it. I love band because it is a very inclusive activity where anybody can be a part of it and we’re all playing because we want to be there. Plus, band helps me to stay motivated in school. I know every single day that if I go to school, I will have a band class.”

Having his classroom be a safe place for students is critical to Shabestari.

“They’re here before school, during lunch, between classes and after school. It is their home when they are at school,” he said. “It makes me so happy to know the kids have a place they can come during a stressful day and instantly feel better.”

More than the awards, Burns said he appreciates the “band family.”

“I like being able to walk into the band room and just talking

with anyone and hanging out in just this community,” he said. “It’s a place where we all just have fun and be a family; hanging out with them makes this the best part about band.” l

In its 10th year, Alta High marching band performed a tribute to its first show, winning first place at the Bands of America western regional competition. (Photo courtesy of Julia Burnett)

Alta High junior saxophonist Parker Burns shows the Bands of America regional first-place medal. (Photo courtesy of Lynne Burns)

Serving Local Families

Since 1885

During one of life’s most difficult moments, you deserve the utmost respect, kindness, care, and guidance. Six generations of Larkins have been devoted to serving Utah families in their time of need, and that unique experience enables us to guide you in preparing services for your loved one with consideration and respect.

Richard Boyer - Eccles Theater

A.D. Shaw - The Raft

Josh Clare - Fresh Air

Richard Boyer -Rapids

Rob Adamson - Winter Bryce

Scott Brough - Bucket of Sunflowers

Utah must be nimble to adapt to an evolving landscape

Irecently toured Lone Peak Hospital in southern Salt Lake County. This facility, in the heart of one of the fastest growing areas of Utah, must adapt to the constantly changing economic and demographic landscape. Although the hospital opened its doors only 10 years ago, it just completed a major expansion, including nearly doubling its bed count and expanding its women’s services, surgical services, and interventional radiology services. It is also expanding into other communities, including Herriman, Riverton, and South Jordan.

To survive and thrive in our changing environment, all businesses must remain nimble and responsive to the needs of a growing population.

Our state continues to grow. Utah’s population topped 3.4 million last year, and grew by more than 61,000 people, according to the recently released 2023 Economic Report to the Governor. This is like adding a new city the size of Herriman every year. And Utah remains one of the fastest growing states in the nation.

Our birth rate is slowing. One of the traditional unique characteristics of Utah’s population growth is that because of our high fertility rate, most of the population growth has come from “natural increase” — the number of births minus deaths in the year. However, in recent years Utah’s fertility rate dropped and is now lower than South Dakota, Nebraska,

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

and North Dakota. But Utah recently saw a resurgence in births. For the first time since 2008, Utah births increased, topping 46,000 in 2022.

Migration is driving our growth. On the other hand, Utah has seen a migration surge in recent years. The Utah Population Committee estimates that net migration (in-migration minus out-migration) brought more than 38,000 new residents to our state in 2022. This represents 62% of the total population growth in Utah and it is the highest number of people moving into the Beehive State in a single year.

Growth is a struggle and a blessing. There is no doubt that our state has struggled under the weight of high population growth and high migration. Population growth puts greater strains on roads, schools, housing, public utilities, natural resources, and social services. It is vital for civic leaders across the state to appropriately plan for population growth and build the infrastructure necessary to support these new residents. And we must all adjust to higher demand for our limited resources as the population grows.

However, while population growth produces challenges, it is much better than the alternative. Many states in our country are currently experiencing the struggles of population loss. In these states, governments struggle to fix roads, bridges, and infrastructure; businesses struggle with decreasing demand as customers move away; and housing price growth slows or drops as people leave. On the other side of the world, China just announced that for the first time since 1961 the country’s population shrank. A shrinking population will cause the supply of workers to shrink, which may cause productivity and overall economic growth to languish.

Supporting the needs of China’s aging population will place a greater strain on workers and taxpayers as the dependency ratio increases.

Utah is blessed to have unmatched natural beauty, a high quality of life, and a strong and vibrant economy. Businesses are attracted to our state because of our strong and growing workforce, which is driven by strong population growth. And nimble companies and communities will be able to thrive in our growing state. l

UHSAA honors Waterford athletic director for service

Craig Morris grew up playing football, basketball and lacrosse in New York State. As Waterford School’s athletic director for 29 years, his mission is to provide a positive experience for students competing for the private school in Sandy.

“Athletics and coaches had a really big influence on me and my life and gave me some direction and guidance and gave me a second home,” he said. “It’s wonderful to have an opportunity to give kids that through sports.”

Morris was honored Jan. 11 with a wooden plaque as athletic director of the year by the Utah High School Activities Association for 2022.

“This is a wonderful recognition and it’s very nice to have, but we do what we do because we love doing it,” he said. “I’ve had the good fortune of having a great staff to work with from the folks helping me in the office to coaches and our trainer and people who support athletes in all sorts of ways; this is an award that really is shared by everybody who has put the time and energy making it possible for kids to have a great experience in the athletic program at Waterford.”

Morris has served on the UHSAA’s executive committee representing 2A region 17, which Waterford students compete in, for about a decade. He learned about the award

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

at a committee meeting before the recognition. “It was a very nice surprise,” he said.

Waterford’s head of school shared it with others at a staff meeting, but the word really began to spread after Morris returned from the recognition to congratulations banners.

He also coaches the school’s girls’ basketball team, adding, “I did not tell them yet. I’m not sure they know.”

When Morris first arrived at Waterford to be the physical education department chair and athletic director, he was thrilled to learn the school had a lacrosse team, his favorite sport he played and got a partial college scholarship to Fairleigh Dickson University in New York. Morris began to help with the players and took over coaching for 15 years, before he began helping with the lacrosse team at the University of Utah the next four years.

“It’s a beautiful game. I love the pace of it. I love the combination of the physicalness with skill and beauty and high scoring; it just spoke to me right away when I picked up a lacrosse stick,” he said, adding that at Waterford “this was before there was organized high school lacrosse. There were just our group of kids who played with a faculty member, who had played soccer and lacrosse at Cornell. There was one other team that

started at Judge (Memorial Catholic) High School. We got together for a game or two. That was the infancy of lacrosse in Utah high schools.”

Morris said he helped get lacrosse sanctioned with the UHSAA.

“We were all set to go and COVID hit, but it has been worth the wait. It’s been wonderful to see that finally get into the high schools and running state championships in the Association,” he said.

For about 17 years, Morris has been coaching girls’ basketball all while scheduling games, getting referees, making sure teams had equipment and uniforms and doing other administrative tasks. But the highlight is working with the student-athletes.

“I just love the opportunity to work with kids,” he said. “They learn great lessons. We go through highs and lows together as a team and as a community. It teaches lessons that really can’t be taught as well anyplace else. They learn life lessons like how to deal with adversity, how to deal with success, how to manage your time, how to work with others, selflessness, being a part of a process that’s greater than yourself and having to play the role that’s needed at times. Sometimes that’s a starring role and sometimes that’s supportive role. Sports prepares you to work in whatever capacity and how to lead a productive life on and off the court much more than whether or not they learn how to shoot a basketball. Ultimately, those are the things that stick with all of us who have been involved with high school athletics.”

Over the years, his athletic director responsibilities have grown. Morris ensures there’s an athletic trainer at sporting events, that students meet eligibility requirements, he takes AD certification classes and is looking into building a new turf field within the next year. Yet, he’s still enthusiastic about his job.

“It’s been a bit of a balancing act, but it’s always been a labor of love. Athletic directors, we spend lots of hours here at school. We have lots of games during the evenings and nights, but that hopefully keeps us young and energetic,” Morris said about Waterford that offers both girls’ and boys’ basketball, crew, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, golf and tennis as well as girls’ volleyball for its 325 Upper School students. “I try to manage all those things, get the help and support where we need to and make sure that ultimately, the kids just have a great experience. This award is nice, but being in a (UHSAA) meeting where you see all the great work that’s happening in high schools across the state, and their passion for what they do, it’s just really nice knowing you’re doing your small role in everything that’s happening.”

On Jan. 11, Cedar Valley High School Assistant Principal Bill Sivert, on behalf of the Utah High School Activities Association, presents Waterford School’s Craig Morris with the athletic director of the year plaque. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Hawks soaring through Utah

Photos by Travis Barton

Top Left: Head coach Travis Ohrn, in his second season with the program, has the Alta boys basketball team flying high. The team was second in the RPI and 17-1 at press time with its only loss coming against Florida’s Mater Lakes Academy at a December tournament in Las Vegas. Top Right: Nash Hinck is averaging double figures for the streaking Hawks. Bottom Right: Jaxon Johnson has already received offers from multiple schools including Weber State, Utah State, Nevada, UC San Diego and Stanford. The junior leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and eight rebounds per game. But it’s Johnson’s basketball IQ that sets him apart. Bottom Left: After his transfer from Bingham, Ace Reiser has taken hold of the point guard position for the Hawks. Reiser is averaging 15 points and four assists per game. Alta won the preseason tournament at Skyridge where it defeated 6A Lone Peak in the championship game.

‘Tisthe season of love. These days everyone seems to claim they have a language of love. For some it’s coffee, others a day at the spa and for many it’s cheering on their favorite football team. Author of “The 5 Love Languages,” Gary Chapman, claims that “Love languages actually apply to how people express and understand love.”

Those five love languages are:

1. Words of affirmation. Those needing love in this area need to be verbally encouraged, shown appreciation, extended empathy and genuinely heard.

2. Physical touch. This physical affection can be shown appropriately in many different relationships of love. You might hug a friend, pat a co-worker on the back, rub your kids’ shoulders, kiss your partner, or simply sit next to someone going through a rough time (physical presence).

3. Receiving gifts. We communicate this through our thoughtfulness in giving something to someone, and we feel loved by receiving even a small token. It doesn't have to be grand, it just needs to be thoughtful and heartfelt.

4. Quality time. This is intentional, undivided attention spent with the other person. Time playing a board game with your kids,

Four steps to learning the languages of love

By Holly Curby | hello@hollycurby.com

So, why is it important to know and understand these languages of love?

- To better help us understand what we need so that we can better communicate our needs to others. We can't expect others to just know what we need or be able to read our mind.

- To avoid showing love to others using the love language of how we feel loved. This can result in our expressions of our love being overlooked if this isn’t their primary love language too.

- To help us learn how to effectively show our love to those around us in a way they prefer to receive it.

Four steps we can take today to find our love language include:

a walk around the block with your spouse, a lunch outing with your friends, a one-on-one meeting with a co-worker.

5. Acts of service. This could simply be offering to help someone through your actions (or someone offering to help you). From teaching your child a new skill, cooking dinner for your spouse, helping your co-worker with a project, pulling in your neighbor’s garbage cans, or simply showing support of someone’s idea in a meeting.

1) Visit www.5lovelanguages.com or download the Love Nudge app (the official app to The 5 Love Languages).

2) Take the quiz to discover your primary love language, what it means, and how you can use it to better connect with your loved ones.

3) Have your loved ones take the quiz. Then discuss what you learned about yourselves and each other.

4) Encourage your workplace to incorporate learning the love languages of your co-workers as a way to help open pathways

of improving communication and your company culture.

Want to learn more about the importance of knowing, understanding and expressing love through the five love languages? Check out Holly’s Highlights podcast season 3 episode 3. Holly’s Highlights podcast is available on www.hollycurby.com and wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and even “Alexa, play Holly’s Highlights podcast season 3 episode 3.” l

Learn more on Holly’s Highlights podcast. (Photo courtesy of Holly Curby)

The Harding family expresses their language of love with a group hug. (Photo courtesy of Caleb Jones)

K. TYSON BAILEY, DO Internal Medicine

Dr. Tyson Bailey joins Granger Medical Clinic Internal Medicine—Sandy/Draper clinic after completing his residency with Abrazo Healthcare in Glendale, Arizona. As a native to Utah, he is excited to be building a lifelong practice caring for patients. Dr. Bailey is an advocate for his patients, having won both “Resident of the Year Award” in 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic and “Outpatient Medicine Resident of The Year” in 2022.

Dr. Bailey completed medical school at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. While at this faith-based university, he learned how to integrate modern, evidence-based medical practices while focusing on the three tenets of health: mind, body, and soul. Dr. Bailey believes that optimal health comes when all three of these tenets are addressed properly. To address these three tenets fully, Dr. Bailey uses a multidisciplinary approach to ensure every aspect of patients’ well-being is taken care of.

Dr. Bailey is trained in osteopathic manipulation and offers these services on a case-by-case basis.

Hillcrest students to present cases to judges in courtrooms

HillcrestHigh senior Kunal Kamtekar remembers watching “Law & Order” television episodes with his mother, who was a lawyer.

“I heard that mock trial was basically having that court experience and getting to do that line of questioning,” he said. “It’s kind of cheesy how I fell into it, but I found a lot of interest in it. I genuinely want to go to law school now. It’s become my passion and goal.”

Kamtekar is a four-year member of Hillcrest’s mock trial team that is presenting their assigned mock case in front of actual judges. First up, is to present in front of Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen.

As a mock trial lawyer, Kamtekar gives direct and cross examinations. He also may present the opening and closing statements.

“I’m excited about what we can do with mock trial this year. Last year, some people left and as the lawyer captain, I filled in for different lawyer roles. We almost went to semifinals with a team of five when normally the team size is nine,” he said.

Last year’s court case was a mock murder involving a woman who was in debt to a loan shark.

“The defense was trying to redirect eyes from the business partner to the loan shark because he had a bad reputation of laying down the law. There was a lot of nitpicking and hearsay and how much you can use of what other people were saying in the case,” he said. “I genuinely learned a lot about the ins and outs of how much you can take from someone else saying it even if you have an eyewitness testimony in court.”

Kamtekar said one witness was a convict who was in jail with a loan shark and “his entire witness story was while he was in jail, he basically confessed to the entire crime.”

“The sad thing is that entire story he gave is hearsay, so I couldn’t really use it to prove any point. You have to kind of work your way around of gathering bits of information not to prove the truth of the matter, but show how the person got there,” he said.

That advice he got from his mother.

“She told me the questioning is not to have the witness confess to the crime, but to elicit information that I can construct my case around. She said to ask the witness for direct facts, then construct that story for the judges,” he said.

Hillcrest students are divided into multiple teams of lawyers, witnesses and bailiffs. Last year, one of the teams argued in front of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.

This year marks the return of mock trial to the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse after not having the opportunity to compete there during COVID-19 years. It will be Kamtekar’s first experience there since it was during his freshman year when the competition moved to online because of the pandemic.

Preparation for this year’s season, which

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

also includes a day at Weber State University, begins in October with students researching. About 30 high school teams compete.

Not only does the team learn courtroom procedures, but they learn the differences between criminal and civil cases.

In addition to explaining the rubric, Hillcrest teacher David Veenstra explains to the team the basics of questioning and the judge’s perspective to help prepare for the competitions, where students compete multiple times in the same trial cases that follows actual cases.

“I usually step in with the new kids and I’ll break down the affidavits with them and kind of go through how you get means, motive and opportunity for a case before the older students teach them more specifics,” said the five-year mock trial adviser. “This team is pretty good. I have a group of juniors and seniors who are good and my officers this year are extremely strong. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think that we are going to be very competitive this year.”

He relies on mock trial leaders, like Kam-

tekar who is the lawyer captain, to teach their peers their roles.

“I’m in charge of lawyers, so I make sure people know how to do defenses, openings, closings, how to have good presentational speaking, what information to include when laying out your entire case,” Kamtekar said. “I’ll teach them the ins and outs of crosses, what you can do on a direct and what you can’t do on cross. I make sure everyone knows courtroom procedures like when to approach the judge.”

Other mock team leaders include president Pravani Gundu, vice president Matthew Chidester and witness captain Morgan Webster.

Veenstra said that students learn how to find and parse information as well as memorization skills.

Kamtekar, who also is the student body vice president, computer science club vice president, and chess club and National Honors Society member, said through mock trial, he’s learned different skills as well as teamwork,

organization and leadership.

“The biggest skill I’ve learned is public speaking, having the ability to like present myself in front of judges in a competent and confident manner,” he said. “I’ve developed a good line of thinking and inquiry. When I read an entire witness alibi, I’m able to construct my line of questioning based on what’s important and finding the stuff that really matters. I found in AP Lang (Advanced Placement English Language and Composition) that I can analyze texts a lot faster to find the content and learning how to research helps with my International Baccalaureate essays.”

For Veenstra, he has appreciated having the relationships with mock trial members like Kamtekar.

“A lot of times, teacher-student relationships are just one and done and I don’t see them again, but that’s not the case with these people,” he said. “They’re bright and hard-working, a real good group.” l

Hillcrest High’s mock trial team is seen preparing for their day at Utah’s Supreme Court in front of Justice Diana Hagen. (David Veenstra/Hillcrest High)

Congratulations to our January Members of the Month: Sage Spring, Maevie Caldwell, and Aolani Rodriguez! Sage Spring is 10 years old: she wants to become a doctor when she grows up, she has been attending the Sandy Club for 3 years, in that time she has learned that you should never bully anyone and to always show respect and kindness. Maevie Caldwell is 7 years old: she wants to become a veterinarian, she has been attending for 5 months, in that time she has learned all the Sandy Club rules. Aolani Rodriguez is 5 years old: she wants to become a doctor, she has been attending for 5 months, and in that time, she has learned math.

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

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If you’d told me 20 years ago that I’d be a yoga instructor, I’d have laughed hard enough to tear a hamstring because I was very inflexible.

I took my first yoga class as a dare. My tennis instructor laughed at how tight I was and challenged me to try yoga. I hated every minute of that stupid class. I hated the words and I hated the poses and I hated the teacher and I loathed downward facing dog with a fiery passion.

But I realized my tennis instructor was right. My muscles were as tight as two-byfours, but less bendy. So I kept going back to yoga. Hated it every single time.

After about two months of practicing yoga, I noticed, little by little, my flexibility was improving. I could almost touch my toes without the usual amount of grunting and tears. My hips didn’t scream out loud while doing pigeon pose. My shoulders dropped away from my ears, where I’d held them at strict attention for decades. Even my back stopped hurting each time I rolled out of bed.

I grudgingly had to admit yoga wasn’t the hippy-dippy dumpster fire I thought it was. But learning the poses was just the beginning. As I explored yoga’s history, philosophy and favorite recipes, I came to realize yoga was a lifestyle that encouraged, nay demanded, self-love and com-

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

passion.

Yikes. As a lifelong subscriber to self-loathing, I wasn’t sure how to handle that type of ideology. Just like when I started the physical practice, I took lots of tiny, baby steps toward accepting myself as a worthy human.

Fast forward 20 years and not only do I teach yoga but I LOVE yoga with a fiery passion. Yoga has changed me in so many ways. I used to be sarcastic, cynical and snarky but after studying yoga for so many years, I’m a sarcastic, cynical and snarky yoga instructor.

See. People change.

I’m also much less judgmental. I’m not so hard on myself and I give most people the benefit of the doubt. Most people. Maybe someone can propose a bill that would require our legislators to take a yoga class each morning before discussing the divisive and harmful bills proposed

this year. OK, when it comes to our lawmakers, I’m still pretty judgmental.

Being a yoga instructor is super silly. As an instructor, I get to say things in class that don’t make a whole lot of sense, and my students listen to me!

I’ll say, “Breathe in through your collarbones, breathe out through your kneecaps. Inhale to fill up your armpits, exhale to release tension in the ear lobes.”

Or I’ll instruct students to “Melt into the mat, send energy out of your fingertips, ground through your sitz bones, wring out your body and lengthen the crown of your head.” And I’m totally serious. (Laugh emoji)

My yoga practice has evolved from trying to do the most difficult poses and making my students sweat and swear, to focusing on deep stretches and stress-reducing breathing exercises.

It isn’t about who can be the bendy-est or the one who can hold crow pose for five minutes. It’s about appreciating what my body can do today. Not what I think it should do or what I want it to do tomorrow, but what it can accomplish right now.

I appreciate all the yoga teachers who took this rigid block of a body and mind and transformed it into a pliable, warm and accepting human being. My hamstrings thank you. l