Millcreek Journal | April 2023

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Rosander, the four-piece band from Skyline High, won first place in the March 3 West Multi Region Battle of the Bands. As winners, they will perform at the Grand Theatre April 29. But they say they’re even happier that they won Fan Favorite.

“In the competition, there are four or five judges and you progress through each round with two songs. They give you a score and feedback on what you did well and what you can improve. That score determines the winner,” said senior Lucas Helm who plays bass in the band.

Fan favorite, however, is judged by the audience. “There’s an online survey and fans vote on whose music they liked the most and who looked like they were having the most fun. To me it’s even better that we won that, because it means the audience really liked the show,” Helm said.

Helm has been playing with his band mates as Rosander for a little over a year, with senior Mason Brindley on guitar, junior Andie Christensen on vocals and junior Max Anderson on drums. Anderson’s mom Amber, a vocal coach, is also their manager.

The event on March 3 was held at Olympus High and sponsored by the PTA. There were 14 entries from nine Utah high schools, a mix of bands and open mic performers: Nameless, Alex Navarro, The Ceramic Bowl Speaks, Stella Rhodes, Grace Waite, Bread Box, Jameson Thackeray, The Waynes, Anna Van Moorlehem, Flying Beagle, Stephen Sroufe, Turpentine and Johhn LeBaron.

“Students performing in Battle of the Bands are winners from their local schools. There are several [other] competitions in the state. The winners will go on to perform on April 29 at the Salt Lake Community College Grand Theatre,” said Matthew Sampson, spokesperson for Granite School District.

This was Rosander’s second year competing. They formed nearly two years ago when Max Anderson and Brindley, who were already friends, started “jamming whenever possible in Max’s basement.”

They shared a common love of grassroots rock and roll. Soon they were joined by Helm on bass, but they needed a solid vocalist. Enter Andie Christensen.

“I saw Andie’s YouTube channel and knew she went to our school. I asked her to join us and my mom worked with her at her vocal studio. Andie’s capable of many genres, and she’s really fun to watch up on stage,” Max Anderson said.

Amber Anderson knew she had good raw material to work with. “I directed her to some soulful vocalists. I knew the voice was there and it had this warmth. But she had to know it was OK to stand out in a crowd and not be afraid of

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Members of the winning band Rosander are all students at Skyline High. L to R are Lucas Helm, Andie Christensen, Max Anderson and Mason Brindley. (Courtesy Amber Anderson/Rosander)

Science takes center stage at Eastwood Elementary’s STEM open house

Students, teachers and parents at Eastwood Elementary School rang in the new year by hosting a community-wide STEMfest open house. The event, sponsored by the Eastwood parent-teacher association, highlighted Eastwood’s recognition as a STEM-designated school, while also featuring scientific displays and experiments from both students and industry professionals.

STEM and/or STEAM (both abbreviations that are used interchangeably) stands for Science, Tech, Engineering and Math, and is a program that was developed by the State of Utah to define the criteria and elements necessary for a school to create a comprehensive STEM learning environment for their students.

According to their website, “The STEM School Designation program will allow schools to engage in discussions with faculty and community partners around STEM education as a lens for strong instruction for students to prepare them for college and career readiness.”

As of March 2021, 37 schools have received the designation, including Millcreek’s Eastwood Elementary. Within the STEM program, schools are classified as platinum, gold, silver or bronze. Eastwood is currently recognized as bronze. The overall hope is that STEM will eventually be implemented in all of Utah’s schools, creating a statewide integration that bands together education, government and industry.

“We aim to provide an engaging STEM learning experience to every student in our school,” says a memo drafted by Eastwood Elementary School that can be found on STEM’s website. “Through STEM experiences, we are providing our students with 21st-century skills. Our students inquire, collaborate and solve problems using the nature of science.”

One of the goals of STEM is to help cultivate interest for students of all ages in scientific fields of study. At Eastwood’s Jan. 10 STEMfest, representatives from various associations across the state were present, most notably the Utah Mining Association. Since 1915, the Utah Mining Association has existed to help promote and encourage education in mining and minerals to further understand the industry and its role in the community at large.

It’s now been over a century since the Utah Mining Association was founded, yet its mission is just as relevant

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MILLCREEK CITY TEAM

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By Lizzie Walje | l.walje@mycityjournals.com

today as it was at its inception. Especially for students who have an interest in the field and are looking to find consistent and gainful employment in the industry. A recent report by the Utah Geological Survey says mining production increased by 2.4% or $90 million between 2019 and 2020. Given that mining continues to be a strong contributor to Utah’s economy, it comes as no surprise that officials are looking to spark interest in students who represent the next wave of the workforce.

Welding is another area where state leaders are actively trying to recruit students. As another contributor to Utah’s booming economy, welding offers steady employment and competitive wages. Michelle Robertson is an academic advisor at Salt Lake Technical College, within Salt Lake Community College. She works exclusively as an advisor to those in the school’s welding program and speaks of how the program is mutually beneficial for both industry and individual.

“Within approximately 18 months or less, students are skilled welders ready to enter the workforce. Often students secure employment before they complete the program, as the demand for skilled welders is high in the state of Utah,” Robertson said. “The program is competitive and (we ensure) our graduates are desirable to businesses in the state of Utah. This boosts our economy and puts skilled individuals to work, benefitting both the employee and the employer.”

Events like STEMfest help to further spark interest in students and give them an opportunity to speak directly to those in industries like mining and welding. These conversations can help create an ongoing dialogue and furthermore educate students on Utah’s top scientific industries.

While STEMfest featured multiple appearances and demonstrations from professionals, it also allowed the Eastwood student body to demonstrate their own scientific acumen and expertise, with a schoolwide science fair. Students participated in the fair and created their own comprehensive experiments that included testable hypotheses and consequent data interpretation.

The science fair portion of STEMfest had students seeking to answer and test all types of different hypotheses. These experiments ranged from having several test subjects try and guess how many ornaments were on a Christmas tree, to observing which cat in a student’s household could

jump the highest. Of course, no science fair would be complete without the traditional Coke and Mentos experiment, where a student tried to test which type of soda would elicit the greatest Mentos explosion by height.

The night concluded with an event tailor-made for elementary school students, a liquid nitrogen ice cream experiment. Students gathered around, as they watched liquid nitrogen undergo the process of turning into ice cream. As the night came to an end, it was clear that STEMfest had met its goal of piquing the interest of students. l

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Students watched as demonstrators created ice cream out of liquid nitrogen. (Lizzie Walje/City Journals)

Local bookstore owner helps Roosevelt Continuation Library open for students

After months of hard work and dedicated collaboration, the Roosevelt Continuation Library officially opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. The library, located in the Roosevelt Continuation School, was completely reworked and stocked using books acquired by Marissa’s Books. Despite the numerous challenges that occurred along the way, this library marks an important turning point for the school and an overall call to encourage reading for all students across the state.

Long before Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini arrived to cut the ribbon, the Roosevelt Library was merely a budding idea. School officials knew that a library would greatly impact the school’s overall culture but didn’t know where to start. That’s when Cindy Dumas, owner of the local bookstore Marissa’s Books, received a call from Brie Butterfield of United Way.

“Brie called and said that Roosevelt Continuation School was looking to build a library and they needed some books. She was wondering if we’d be willing to donate,” Dumas said. “Well, there was basically no library at that point. They needed far more than just a few donations, given that 90% of the shelves were completely bare. So, we got to work.”

In order for the library to reach its full potential, it would need to be built from the ground up. For Dumas and her bookstore’s employees, this would include getting books donated, creating a cataloging system, teaching library staff how to use the cataloging system, and finally getting everything built. The school was also specific when it came time to discuss the types of books they wanted to be featured in the library. The Roosevelt Continuation School is essentially an alternative school, and they often serve populations that could be categorized as at-risk or sensitive.

While literacy is important for all students, regardless of circumstance, for the students at Roosevelt, it was important that they have access to material that could be both life-changing and motivating. “They wanted things that could give kids hope for the future, and to give them an outlet, so they can learn more about how to potentially change their situation. We gave them books about entrepreneurship and college, and other types of schooling, a lot of books you might not find in a traditional high school,” Dumas said.

Given the overall lack of resources, getting the library from point A to B was bound to be a challenge. However, for Dumas and the team at Marissa’s, one of the biggest challenges would be setting up the library. After all, Dumas is familiar with buying books and curating selection, but building a library was an entirely different scenario.

“We probably had 80% of what we needed,” Dumas said. “We have a store and warehouse, where we keep books, we went through our process at the warehouse, and asked ourselves the necessary questions like what does this school need? If so, can we get it through the warehouse?”

According to Dumas, on average a completely donated library like the one at Roosevelt can consist of anywhere from 800 to 10,000 books. The Roosevelt School also has a student body of multiple ages ranging from sixth- to 12th-graders, which is a wide range of age and thus, reading material. Despite the undertaking, it was one that Dumas felt was close to her heart. Illiteracy was something she had firsthand experience with, and she wanted to do what she could to make a difference in a student’s life.

“On a personal level, I know how difficult it is to progress in school if you can’t read well. And that, not being able to read well, can hinder you in any subject,” Dumas said. “I was struggling in every class after moving from San Francisco to Utah. Thankfully, I had an amazing teacher who would make

By Lizzie Walje | l.walje@mycityjournals.com

a difference in my life in grade six. He took time to bring me things I could read, to help me.”

Even in a developed country like the United States, illiteracy is still a problem that plagues students. According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), worldwide at least 773 million adults face literacy challenges and two-thirds of them are women. The Covid-19 pandemic was also hard on students and illuminated literacy issues. Across the board, reading scores were universally lower during the height and consequent fallout of Covid-19.

As far as Dumas is concerned, we’re now largely playing a game of catch-up following the Covid-19 years. “The literacy issue is huge. These teachers, teachers in all kinds of schools, have given us calls because they realize it’s a bigger issue now having gone through Covid. I saw how hard online classes were for kids. We’re at a critical point where we can still get them up to speed,” Dumas said.

Dumas also spoke to the need for multicultural learning, as literacy helps give students exposure to different cultures through reading. Reading can help students understand and empathize with others. Moreover, since helping Roosevelt, Dumas and the team at Marissa’s plan to keep working with as many other schools as they can. “We’ve provided a lot of schools with books, and we’re talking many different languages from Farsi to Spanish. Especially in elementary schools where the children haven’t learned English quite yet. We try to cater a lot of our book buying, you know, things like the classics and interactive I Can Read types of books.”

Silvestrini made a particular note of how this library will enhance the lives of students before he cut the ribbon.

“With this particular population, it’s so important to have outlets like this. Outlets that will help develop skills and confidence,” he said. “At the city level, we want to keep doing whatever we can to make sure projects like this have our full support.” l

As of January 2023, the Roosevelt Continuation Library is now open for students. (Lizzie Walje/City Journals)

Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini was on site to help lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Lizzie Walje/City Journals)

Those in attendance at the Roosevelt Continuation Library opening were treated to customized cookies to celebrate the event. (Lizzie Walje/City Journals)

Skyline returns to mountain top winning both team state titles

Photos by Roger V. Tuttle

Skyline’s Colleen MacWilliams is encouraged by the lane counter during her first-place finish in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:04.02.

Skyline’s Alexander Stewart starts the 500 yard freestyle, taking second with a time of 4:38.20.

Jade Garstang wins the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 54.97.

Both Skyline girls’ and boys’ teams took first place in the 5A state swimming championships at BYU.

Local gardening experts share how to prepare for the gardening season ahead

By Collette Hayes | c.hayes@mycityjournals.com

The warmer, longer days of spring have arrived, and it’s time to take steps to prepare for the gardening season ahead. To help out, local gardening experts in the Millcreek and Holladay areas were asked to share their garden expertise with the City Journals.

LaRene Bautner, owner and operator of Millcreek Garden Center, shares decades of gardening experience on garden preparation and a useful timeline of what to plant and when to plant it. Paul Taylor, owner of Paul’s Professional Sprinklers, provides basic insight on spring home sprinkler system maintenance. Holladay resident Amy Talbot offers 25 years of seed starting growing tips and ideas for successful companion planting and container gardening.

Yard cleanup, organization and planning

Millcreek Gardens, winner of the prestigious Best of State Award 2022, is a full garden service center in the Millcreek area. They offer a collection of tools, indoor and outdoor plants, special selections of vegetable starts, trees, and annuals and perennials. Before planting, Bautner recommends yard planning and organization and then beginning yard cleanup a piece at a time.

Making sure seasonal gardening tools and equipment are in good working condition is one of the first steps to insure a more stressfree and productive working environment this spring. Regular lawn mower and tiller maintenance in addition to sharpening and sanitizing tools will go a long way in improving the health of your grass and garden. In order for the grass and garden beds to breathe, clearing leftover fall debris such as leaves and sticks needs to be done as soon as the ground is fairly dry. Cutting back shrubs, perennials and removing any dead growth should be done before the active growing season begins. Also, soil can be tested in the spring to identify whether plant nutrients are deficient and, if so, what amounts are needed for maximum growth. Utah State University Analytical Laboratories provides testing and analysis services for soil gardening and landscaping.

This is the time of year to make decisions about where to plant the perennials and annuals, ground covers, vegetable starts, shrubs and fruit trees.

“Planning is critical, a person needs to decide how they are going to use different areas in the yard,” Bautner said. “For example, where is the play area going to be. Asking questions like, ‘Is this a good place for a vegetable garden?’ and ‘What do I want to plant in the vegetable garden?’”

Bautner suggests planning around the following planting time line for success and an abundant harvest keeping in mind everything doesn’t have to be planted all at once.

Toward the end of March, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, peas and beets can be planted

and are known for being able to tolerate a light frost, but it is suggested keeping a cover available for a sudden low dip in temperature. In April, cold weather flowers such as pansies, snap dragons, dusty miller and dianthus can be planted. Usually by around May 8, depending on the last frost, it is safe to plant most vegetables and flowers that have been hardened off and are ready for outdoor planting.

“We know that a beautiful garden will make your life better,” Bautner said. “Our goal at Millcreek Gardens is to be a gardening resource for the community. We know that a beautiful garden enhances life making it better.”

Taylor, owner of Paul’s Professional Sprinklers, has been maintaining and repairing home sprinkler systems for 21 years. In a recent conversation, Taylor shared tips that have worked well for him when starting up a home sprinkler system after being winterized.

“I’ve started up thousands of sprinkler systems over the years and this method has worked well for me,” Taylor said. “The method has been reliable in making sure I haven’t overlooked anything.”

Basic steps in starting up a home sprinkler system after winterizing

Check your backflow valves to make sure they are closed and the backflow handles are opened all of the way. Also, go around to each valve box and close any valves or drain valves that were opened in the fall. After making sure everything is closed, turn the water on and listen for the meter to stop turning. Walk around the yard to make sure you don’t see any flooding. Go through each station one by one and look at the valves in the box for any leaks. Walk down the path of the heads to make sure there aren’t any broken pipes and that the heads are in good repair and spraying in the right direction. If a valve pipe or head is broken shut the station off immediately and repair it so it doesn’t flood your yard or worse your basement. Set the sprinkler timer.

Seed starting 101, companion planting and container gardening

According to gardening expert Talbot there are many advantages to starting garden seeds indoors including variety of plants available, providing a longer growing season and cost.

“Starting seeds indoors allows you to grow a wider range of plants to suit your taste,” Talbot said. “Also, some plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and flowers require a longer growing season than we have for our growing zone (zone 6). Cost is a factor as well. Seeds are much less expensive than buying young transplants. Start seeds indoors four to eight weeks before the last frost. You can look online by ZIP code what the average date for the last frost is. Don’t put your plants out if the temperature is going to drop below

50 degrees.”

Companion planting and trap cropping can be effective ways to increase crop production and to deter pests by pulling the pests away from garden plants, Talbot said. Plants with known positive relationships with each other should be planted close, within a few rows of each other. The scent of herbs such as thyme and lavender will help to repel pests and will attract bees for needed pollination. Nasturtiums are attractive to aphids.

Talbot suggests container gardening for those living in apartments or condominiums.

“Make sure if you’re container gardening the pots you’re using are large enough to prevent the plants from becoming root bound,” Talbot said. “Something that is plastic, terra cotta, has good soil and water drainage should work just fine to grow a number

of plants including potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Wasatch Community Garden’s spring plant sale is May 13 this year. This is a perfect place to find unique and unusual vegetable plant starts whether your container gardening or garden planting.”

There are many seed and gardening resources that can be valuable in preparing for the gardening months ahead:

Wasatch Community Gardens www. wasatchgardens.org/

Millcreek Gardens www.millcreekgardens.com/

Johnny Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com

Paul’s Sprinklers 801-577-9112

Utah State University Gardening Extension www.extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/ l

Holladay Library offers a large selection of gardening resources filled with current how-to information and garden planning guidelines. (Collette Hayes/City Journals)

KOMAL RASTOGI, MD Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology

Dr. Rastogi joined Granger Medical Clinic from Steward Medical Group. He was born and raised in Oklahoma and moved to the Salt Lake area in 2018. Dr. Rastogi previously worked in San Antonio, Texas, at River City Neurology prior to joining Steward Medical Group. Since moving to Utah, he has served as the stroke medical director of Davis Hospital & Medical Center in Layton, Utah. Under his leadership, Davis Hospital & Medical Center achieved a Primary Stroke Center Plus accreditation from the DNV and became the first certified stroke center in Davis County. He is a member of the Utah State Stroke Task Force which is a coalition of local providers whose goal is to improve stroke care in the state of Utah.

Dr. Rastogi offers both inpatient and outpatient neurological care. His training focused on procedures such as EEG, EMG, evoked potentials, intraoperative monitoring, VNS programming, and skin biopsies. This allows him to specialize in epilepsy and neuromuscular disorders in addition to any general neurological disorders.

Dr. Rastogi believes that the patient-physician relationship is an important factor in providing good care. He completed his fellowship in a variety of neurological procedures to make sure patients can see one neurologist for all aspects of their neurological care, thus providing a lasting and trusting relationship.

• General Neurology services which include stroke, concussion, traumatic brain injury, headaches (including migraines), neuropathy, back pain/radiculopathy, sciatica, seizures/epilepsy, muscle diseases, motor neuron disease (ALS), myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s Disease, Essential tremor, multiple sclerosis, and dementias (including Alzheimer’s Disease) along with many others.

Rep. Spackman Moss breaks record with 23 years of service as a female legislator

Carol Spackman Moss has made history as Utah’s longest-serving female state legislator. Moss, who has served in the Utah House of Representatives for over 23 years, was first elected in 2000 and has been re-elected every two years since then.

Moss represents District 34, which covers East Murray, Holladay and Millcreek.

“I ran for office because I had a call from my cousin, then a legislator, who said I should run for office because my current representative was not a good advocate for public education,” Moss said. “At that time, I was in my 32nd year of teaching English at Olympus High, and I loved my job. I was, however, getting burned out from grading essays at night, on weekends, and on holidays, and I thought being a legislator might be something I would enjoy if I retired from teaching.

“Note that I started teaching at age 23 but couldn’t afford to retire in my 50s and give up my health insurance. I thought about it for a few days, talked with my family, had a few more legislators call to persuade me to run, and I decided that with all the students I had taught in my neighborhood and community, I had name recognition and thought I would have a pretty good shot at winning.”

In retrospect, Moss might agree that the

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

more things change, the more they stay the same when she characterizes how the legislature has changed since she started.

“The changes I have seen over the years is that the work is more intense, more bills, more meetings, more special sessions. The session is the same 45 days, but the budget has more than doubled to this year’s 29-billion-dollar budget. More bills than ever are written, over a 1,000, this year, but we have the same amount of time to complete the budget. That means more speed, less scrutiny, longer hours, and more competition for funding,” Moss said.

However, one change this year concerns her more over past years.

“The biggest change, especially noticeable this year, is the partisan divide is much greater. When I first was elected, and for many years, the two parties competed, of course, and had some different political views, but this year, it is much more partisan with bills that come from outside organizations, far-right groups that want to restrict what and how teachers can teach, what books students can read, what parents can do in terms of medications for their children who have gender dysphoria, and what rights women have in regards to their reproductive healthcare to name a few.

“This session also saw bills combined that forced legislators to choose between something they dislike, like school vouchers, coupled with pay raises for teachers, HB 215, which started the session on an adversarial note,” Moss said.

For a Democrat in a super-majority Republican legislature, Moss has passed quite a bit of legislation. However, the one she most fondly remembers is paving the way for using Naloxone.

“It has also been gratifying to meet people who have benefitted from laws I have passed, whose lives were saved by Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug,” Moss said. “That has saved countless lives after I passed bills to allow police to carry it, local health clinics to dispense it, and now it can be purchased without a prescription from a pharmacy, usually covered by insurance.”

Her last few years in the legislature have been challenging, not due to partisan fights but because she lost her beloved husband, Bob.

“Sadly, my life has changed considerably in the past 18 months because of the death of my husband in July 2021,” Moss said. “I am fortunate that all three of my daughters, their husbands, and my grandchildren now live close by in Holladay,

Millcreek and Murray. My daughters attend plays, book clubs, and political functions with me, events that my late husband Bob Moss always attended.”

Does she have any plans on retiring?

“Yes, of course, I plan on retiring. I will announce it when the time is right. Currently, I have another year and a half of my 12th term, and then I will decide. The filing deadline for the 2024 election is next year, the first week in January,” Moss said.

Moving into year 24 of her legislative service, there are things that drive her personally.

“My favorite part of being a legislator has been meeting many people from different backgrounds and professions. I have gained enormous respect for state employees in all the capacities that make our state run effectively, from the folks at the DMV to UDOT, to employees at the state and local health departments, Refugee Services, Consumer Services Division, the State Board of Education, and more.

“I have also met constituents, thousands of them at their doors when I am campaigning, and at town halls, and other events I attend, from parades to arts festivals in the cities I represent,” Moss said.l

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss speaks at the Utah State Capitol about her Suicide Prevention in Correctional Facilities bill that passed this session. (Photo courtesy of Carol Spackman Moss)

Skyline High’s business club dominates at FBLA regional competition

Amere three years ago, the business club at Skyline High School was virtually non-existent. Alex Pham, the club’s current public relations officer, said the club’s decline was a casualty of both the Covid-19 pandemic and a general lack of awareness of its existence amongst the student body. Needless to say, the prognosis for the club’s survival looked bleak. Fast forward a few years, and not only has the business club exploded in membership, but that same club was awarded the first place overall school award at the FBLA regional competition.

The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is the largest business, career and technical student organization in the world. According to their website, each year the FBLA helps prepare over 230,000 student members for careers in business. As a part of their organization the FBLA holds a series of competitions throughout the year. Many competitions are held at the regional level.

This year’s regional FBLA event took place at the David Eccles School of Business on Dec. 9, 2022. The event hosts a series of different competitions highlighting business adjacent skills. Not only did Skyline take home the first place overall school award, but they also managed to dominate in a series of other competitions. “At FBLA Regions, Skyline High School received 92 top five awards in 45 different events,” Pham said.

Today, Skyline’s once-ailing business club is now home to 70 members, and many of these individuals have gone on post-graduation to highly esteemed business schools.

Continued from front page

it,” Amber Anderson said.

By Lizzie Walje | l.walje@mycityjournals.com

Many cited the club itself as instrumental in cultivating an interest in the world of business. Sophomore and business club member Jeffrey Zou mirrored this sentiment when discussing the benefits of having such a club available to students.

“Having the business club at Skyline has helped improve the overall culture. The club helps you find your passion in the world and helps you find your position in the world. Even despite all the teaching we have in school, we really don’t learn a lot of these skills as part of the common curriculum. FBLA and DECA really get you to the next level, especially the next level in the American workforce.”

DECA, formerly known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, is like FBLA in the sense that they work to help emerging student business leaders. Many high schools have clubs dedicated either solely to FBLA or DECA, however, the Skyline business club competes in events run by both organizations. As per DECA’s mission statement, “DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.”

Both DECA and FBLA host events throughout the academic year, granting students the opportunity to take the skills they learn in their clubs and apply them to real-world business scenarios. For example, students can participate in mock job interviews, roleplay scenarios, presentations and general testing. Essentially, these events and their

The three other band members remember the day when they were rehearsing their cover of “Fever Dog,” and they felt like Christensen tapped into what her voice was capable of.

“The first time she opened up the three of us looked at each other with our jaws on the floor. Now she does that to us every week. She’s grown exponentially,” Helm said.

Christensen has a gig every Wednesday at the Citris Grill on Wasatch Boulevard and her band mates can’t say enough good things about her.

“I think she’s the reason we sound the way we do, because she’s what makes us different from any other band. When you think about what makes you stand out, that’s what will dictate your future. And she is what makes us stand out,” Brindley said.

All the band members cite their parents and teachers as big supporters. Learning music from their parents is also partly what inspired their classic rock vibe.

“We’ve learned to love what that genre has to offer. We’ve listened to it for years. It’s important to have diverse music taste—it helps us bring in different demographics of people,” Helm said.

Anderson was influenced by the music his parents listened to. His dad, also a drummer, introduced him to drummers like U2’s Larry Mullen Jr. and Led Zeppelin’s Jon Bonham.

various competitions help prepare students for scenarios they will encounter post-graduation, especially those who are interested in pursuing a business-oriented career.

Sophomore and club member Anhkhoa Le discussed some of the major events that took place at FBLA regionals, before recalling those he participated in. “I did seven testing events, and then for in-person events, the main event I focused on was actually a pitch. I pitched why (Skyline) should get a fundraising opportunity to attend an event in New York City.”

In addition to Le’s participation in the fundraising pitch, multiple students in the club partook in a multitude of events. “We had placers in all types of events, ranking highly. Those scores were what, then, factored into the overall top school award,” explained Pham. “Notably, we had two placers in a future business leader competition and in the job interview. Having four of our members place in those two categories really shows how much work we put into those two events.”

While the club was obviously excited to have their hard work pay off at the FBLA regionals, when asked about the club’s overall impact on their day-to-day lives, all three students spoke highly of how the club has helped them develop skills that aren’t often easy to come by in traditional high school curriculum.

“One of the most influential and important skills that you learn, well, you learn how to communicate effectively. Even if it’s just

talking to the person next to you. It’s about being able to effectively communicate, and it’s not often taught in a school’s major curriculum. There are many ways you can apply it,” Pham said.

Le echoed the sentiments about how the club has helped develop his interpersonal skills before adding, “Another huge aspect that business club and FBLA teaches you, is how to have more confidence. It teaches you to keep moving and persevere. And it teaches you a lot of technical skills. At the competition, you can apply those skills. It also allows you to meet a lot of different peers who have the same skills as you, and it’s a great networking opportunity.”

As for what’s next? The business club will continue to be busy throughout the duration of the academic school year, participating next, at the group level, in a DECA event. However, many students will also take the initiative to participate in smaller events, giving them opportunities to compete in more individual settings.

As for sophomore Zou’s future plans? There’s still much that’s up in the air, however, what he does know is how thrilled he was to see the club triumph, especially following some tough years when it nearly ceased to exist.

“It felt really good to finally see Skyline win,” Zou said. “We nearly fell off completely and to then come back to become the best school in the region? It was a great feeling.” l

They’d like to pursue music professionally, and Amber Anderson is teaching them about the business side of music so they don’t go into it naively.

“I gave them two rules: first, you still have to get a degree, and second you will learn the music business so you can have fun at it and enjoy the benefits of creative control,” Amber Anderson said. She’s invested in sophisticated recording equipment, and posted videos and tracks on www. rosander.band and YouTube.

At Battle of the Bands they performed one original song, “Passion,” and one cover, “Fever Dog,” which they’ll perform again on April 29. Future shows like the upcoming Draper Jam will give them more set time and flexibility.

In just over a year they’ve seen a lot of success and call Battle of the Bands a very positive experience.

“My favorite thing has been how everyone at Battle of the Bands is nice to each other and everyone wants you to succeed and do your best. During sound checks everyone’s listening to everyone else, and interested in their talents and song choices,” Helm said.

In addition to hard work and talent, Helm attributes Rosander’s win to the group’s chemistry.

Brindley’s influences include Robert Johnson and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. He also gives credit to and “has a lot of respect for” his Holladay-based guitar teacher, Johnny London.

Rosander hopes the win will give them some local recognition so they can play more live shows this summer.

“We hang out every single day, and we’re not really performing for other people, we’re just performing for each other. We do what we love onstage, but it happens in front of people,” Helm said. “We’re legitimate best friends, and that comes across to the audience when we perform.” l

Max Anderson of Rosander said he started playing drums at age 2 and learned from his dad. (Courtesy Amber Anderson/Rosander)

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Public Utilities requests resident engagement to help inventory water infrastructure

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) Director Laura Briefer presented an overview of the water supply for the area to the Cottonwood Heights City Council on March 1. She reported on current drought conditions, detailed the water utility infrastructure and drinking water supply, shared new federal regulations, and provided updates on the department’s guiding documents.

Additionally, Briefer asked Cottonwood Heights to spread the word about their calls for resident engagement. SLCDPU is asking residents to be mindful of water conservation, get informed about new regulations regarding lead in water pipes, provide feedback for their management plan updates, and help inventory the water utility infrastructure system.

“Our snowpack and water supply is in very good condition this year,” Briefer said.

Even though the winter season has been positive in terms of contributing to the service area’s water supply, Briefer reminded the council that drought conditions persist. According to the Intermountain West Climate Dashboard in February, 99% of Utah remains in some level of drought. Salt Lake Valley, specifically, remains in severe drought conditions. The Great Salt Lake remains in critical condition as well.

“One year of snowpack is great. But we need average, or above average, snowpack for several years to exit drought status,” Briefer said.

SLCDPU has a vast water utility infrastructure from water treatment plants to transition mains and pipelines, with over 90,000 connections. Their service area includes all of Salt Lake City as well as portions of South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray and Midvale.

The drinking water supply for the service area is collected from a few different channels. Fifty percent to 60% is filtered from Parley’s Canyon, City Creek Canyon and the two Cottonwood Canyons (Little and Big), while 30% to 35% of the drinking water supply flows from the Deer Creek Reservoir as part of the Provo River project.

“These canyons are so valued and important for the quality of life for our community. There is a lot of interaction with communities interested in what is happening in the canyons,” Briefer said.

Many additional cities throughout Salt Lake County and Utah County benefit from Deer Creek Reservoir. Briefer described the reservoir as an insurance policy when experiencing year over year droughts as it can store a significant amount of water for long periods of time. The canyon systems, however, are not equipped for storing wa-

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

ter (with the exception of the Little Dell and Mountain Dell reservoirs in Parley’s Canyon).

“The combination of readily available water sources and stored water puts us in a very nice position,” Briefer said.

Following the crisis in Flint, Michigan (and other drinking water crises concerning lead contamination), the Environmental Protection Agency has made it a priority to update their federal rules related to lead and copper. The SLCDPU has already replaced older parts of the water utility infrastructure system that could have been constructed from lead.

“We are quite sure we don’t have lead in the water mains that run through the city,” Briefer said.

Recent mandates require every single water service line to be inventoried. If there is suspicion any part of a service line could have the potential for lead contaminants, a plan must be developed and put into place to remove and replace those service lines.

“One of the challenges we are having is we have good records of the water lines the city has installed, but not water lines installed by private entities,” Briefer said.

SLCDPU is responsible for water lines connecting from mains to meters, but connections from water meters to developments are the individual property (or home) owners’ responsibility. Currently, 64,000 service lines are unknown. SLCDPU is asking for help from residents to reduce that number.

In addition to helping inventory the water utility infrastructure, residents have been working with SLCDPU to update the Watershed Management Plan through surveys and open houses. Originally drafted in 1989, the Watershed Management Plan identifies pollution risks to drinking water resources and identifies management strategies to reduce those risks.

Vulnerability assessments and resident feedback will be finalized into a report that will be taken to the Salt Lake City Council and the Public Utilities Advisory Committee. (Cottonwood Heights resident Ted Boyer serves on that Advisory Committee.)

“We have a lot of coordination opportunities,” Briefer said.

Residents can expect water quality reports annually delivered to their mailboxes. SLCDPU monitors water quality for more than 90 contaminants to comprise individual water quality reports.

To learn more about the rebuild of the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant (4101 Big Cottonwood Canyon Road), visit: KeepItPureBigCottonwood.com.

To learn more about the process to get involved with the Watershed Management

Plan update, visit: slc.gov/utilities/watershed/watershedmanagementplan.

To learn more about new regulations surrounding lead in water pipes, visit: slc. gov/utilities/LeadandCopper

To help inventory the water infrastructure system, visit SLCDPU’s survey at: slc.gov/utilities/LeadandCopperSurvey

For find the annual Water Quality Consumer Report, visit: slc.gov/utilities/ water-quality

To learn more about conserving water at home, visit: slc.gov/utilities/conservation l

Salt Lake Public Utilities is encouraging residents to participate in inventorying the water infrastructure system through their website. (Laura Briefer/Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities)

Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities Director Laura Briefer is requesting resident participation and feedback in a variety of projects. (Photo courtesy of Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities)

The Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant is currently in the process of reconstruction. (Cassie Goff/City Journals)

Skyline High unified basketball team scores on and off the court

Skyline High freshman Anthony Gull was excited to show his dribbling and shooting skills on the hardwood.

“We’ve worked on shooting baskets, dribbling, defense and teamwork, but I like it best when we score,” the student-athlete said. “It’s fun hanging out with my friends and other teams. I like seeing how everyone’s faces are happy.”

Gull is part of his school’s unified sports program. He already has a unified soccer medal in his bedroom and was looking to add a ribbon at a regional unified basketball tournament held in late February.

“We work hard, but we expect to be happy and to have fun,” he said.

In unified basketball, teams have five players on the court—three athletes and two unified partners. Teams play against other squads of the same ability in two eight-minute halves. Supported by Special Olympics and the Utah High School Activities Association, unified sports has both a competitive and a player development level, the latter which provides more of a cooperative environment with partners being teammates and mentors.

UHSAA referee Paul Madsen said he appreciates unified basketball.

“There’s great sportsmanship,” he said. “Everyone is helping each other. It’s wonderful to see.”

Junior Penni Duzy played on her school’s unified squad that took second place at the regional tournament, but that wasn’t her favorite part.

“Giving everyone on both teams highfives is my favorite part,” she said, adding that she played on last year’s inaugural team as well. “I like getting exercise and having fun. We help each other out and cheer for everyone on both teams.”

Duzy, who also plays soccer and rides horses, appreciated having her family there to support for her. She was looking forward to playing at the state tournament.

In Utah, involvement in unified high school basketball has skyrocketed. This year, there were the most teams in its history competing to play at state—73 teams competed for 32 state seeds, said Courtnie Worthen, Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools manager.

At the March 8 state unified basketball tournament, there was plenty of smiles and cheers as Skyline beat Brighton High to take fifth place in its division. Administrators from several school districts and educational foundations joined Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox to support the competition, which was held at Weber State University.

Abby Cox said she was proud of everyone in the gym.

“Utah, as a state—we are part of the inclusion revolution,” she told them.

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Unified sports engages students with and without intellectual disabilities on the same sports teams, leading to not only sports skills development and competition, but also inclusion and friendship, Worthen said.

“Unified sports provides social inclusion opportunities for all teammates to build friendships on and off the court,” she said. “The teammates challenge each other to improve their skills and fitness and at the same time, increase positive attitudes and establish friendships and provide a model of inclusion for the entire school community.”

Unified sports, Worthen said, is included in the Unified Champion Schools model, where a unified team is supported by the entire school and there is inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

“With schools that embrace the Unified Champion Schools model, they create communities where all students feel welcome and are included in all school activities and opportunities. Students feel socially and emotionally secure, they’re more engaged in the school and feel supported, and are respected,” she said. “It changes school climates.” l

At the regional unified basketball tournament, Skyline High shoots for two against Tooele High. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Couples coping with infertility find support at the Utah Infertility Resource Center

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

It’s a question couples are often asked. “When are you going to have children?” While this inquiry seems harmless, it can be triggering and hurtful for couples struggling with infertility.

The Centers for Disease Control states that 19% of married women (up to 49 years old, with no prior births) will be unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. Infertility brings up all kinds of emotions, from shame to failure, but the Utah Infertility Resource Center (1565 E. 3300 South) in Salt Lake City offers support.

Founded by Camille Hawkins in 2015, UIRC provides connection, resources and hope to an underserved community.

“With infertility, it feels like your body’s broken and you're deficient somehow, but why do we feel that way about infertility but not other medical diagnosis, like diabetes?” said Shelli Mecham, UIRC executive director. “We want to give people their privacy yet we also want to be supportive. With all the challenges in this community, and the pressure to have a family, we have supportive people who want to help.”

Sometimes that support comes through helping couples navigate the hard conversations with friends and family and creating strict boundaries around privacy. Learning how to work through feelings of judgment, shame and self-blame is also addressed.

Sara Mecham, UIRC marketing manager, said there’s lots of unintentional shame that makes it hard for couples to deal with family members.

“We should be able to have a boundary and be able to say that’s none of your business,” Sara Mecham said. “There’s that give and take of how you want to have your story represented, if you do want to share it. The more we get people to share their stories, the more it will help others do the same and help overcome the stigma of it being a hushed topic.”

While many believe infertility is a woman’s problem, Shelli Mecham said that just isn’t true. One-third of infertility issues are caused by the female body, one-third are caused by the male body and one-third are a combination of both or from unknown causes.

Men’s emotional needs around infertility is a big concern for those at UIRC. Men-only support groups give men a supportive environment to

share their experiences and feelings.

Shelli Mecham’s son and daughter-in-law went through their own infertility journey before delivering a baby through IVF several weeks ago. She saw the struggle her son had as he longed to be a parent and start a family.

“In our culture, men have to be stoic and hold it all together and support other people,” Shelli Mecham said. “We don’t have women-only support groups but we do have men-only support groups.”

UIRC also offers professional counseling, advocacy and free education consultations that allow couples to ask any questions they might have. Quarterly night-out events bring the community together so people can meet other couples going through the same experience.

National Infertility Awareness Week is April 24-29 and UIRC will host a weeklong event with different activities happening each night. Visit UtahInfertilityResourceCenter.org for more information.

UIRC Facebook groups have several thousand people connecting with each other every day. They get advice

and find access to resources and programs to make their life easier. That social connection is valuable for couples as infertility can cause isolation and loneliness.

“You see people cheering each other on, supporting each other, empathizing with each other, offering support and offering advice about what they went through,” Sara Mecham said. “There are thousands of people experiencing this and it’s not just you. You’re not alone. It’s not your fault that it’s happening.”

A man or woman will go through different stages of grief at different times. When a couple learns they don’t have to be on the same page, they find ways to respect and support each other. Setting boundaries, creating a practice of self-care and trying not to isolate will help couples work through infertility in a healthier way.

“We want to be able to help folks feel that support so they can go through the treatment or they can adopt that baby,” Shelli Mecham said. “You’ve got a community around you to help you fulfill your dream to be a parent.” l

Utah Infertility Resource Center Board Chair Brooke Walrath (left) and UIRC Executive Director Shelli Mecham attended the 2023 Nonprofit Day on the Hill at the Utah State Capitol, to bring awareness to the thousands of couples struggling with infertility in Utah.

(Photo courtesy of UIRC)

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Eagles basketball wraps up

Photos by City Journals

Senior Tina Njike was a force her entire career at Skyline, helping the team reach the semifinals this year as a 22 seed, where the Eagles fell to Bountiful. Njike, who is committed to Penn University, was selected to the 5A all-star game after averaging 15 points and 3 assists per game.

(Photo by Roger V. Tuttle)

Peter Christensen and the boys team finished second in region, earning the No. 9 seed. The Eagles would lose to region rival Brighton in the second round, just two weeks after defeating the Bengals in their final region game.

First, robots came for assembly line workers. Then they came for agricultural and warehouse jobs. Then a cyborg assassin time-traveled from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor. What will artificial intelligence target next?

If you ask our publisher, journalism is on the robotic chopping block. He recently sat down with our editorial team and told us we’d better get our act together or AI will certainly replace us within five years.

It’s the plot of every sci-fi movie. “Let’s merge robotic efficiency and human connection to create a utopian workplace.” But then, the robots download a virus and turn into killing machines. It doesn’t end well for humanity.

But let’s back up a bit. When encyclopedias were created in the 1700s, people were astonished to have so much information at their fingertips. What’s an encyclopedia you ask? Thanks for asking, young whippersnapper.

Encyclopedias are books bound in fake leather that weigh the equivalent of a baby hippo. They were like printed versions of Wikipedia that became outdated as soon as they were purchased. They were used for footstools and sometimes for murder weapons.

Peri Kinder

Life and Laughter

Rage Against the Machine

came chatbots, or virtual assistants, like Siri, who learned to answer our stupid questions with a bit of sass.

Now, journalists are encouraged to use AI to produce copy. ChatGPT launched in November and millions of people have tried it out, creating everything from poetry to fake news. It’s like a Google search on steroids.

In fact, it’s so good at creating fake news, that the CNET media website published stories for months before the articles were discovered to be riddled with errors, misinformation and plagiarized material. Oops.

Following my publisher’s orders, I typed a few questions into ChatGPT and immediately ran into a virtual brick wall.

“How many people are living on Earth?” I asked. ChatGPT replied 7.9 billion but added its data ended in September 2021. I guess anyone born after that date doesn’t count.

They were also used for rampant plagiarism. Teachers often received essays copied straight from Encyclopedia Britannica.

As technology advanced, plagiarism got easier with the ability to copy-andpaste from any website; more efficient and much harder to detect. Then along

I asked it to tell me a joke. ChatGPT explained it didn’t have a sense of humor or emotions and didn’t understand jokes. So it could be a Utah legislator.

So, will AI adapt to create personality, voice, humor and journalistic ethics or will future generations get used to reading pedantic and pretentious articles written

by emotionless robots

like Tucker Carlson?

Sometimes, the “journalism” churned out by AI is racist, offensive and inappropriate because, and here’s the issue, humans create code for these bots. Fallible, stupid humans who unintentionally create programming that mimics their own limiting beliefs.

In These Times writer Hamilton Nolan said, “Journalism is the product of a human mind. If something did not come from a human mind, it is not journalism.”

He said journalism requires accountability. The writer should be able to explain the origins and sources of any story. Can AI do that? Will robots request interviews from other robots? When questioned, will AI fall to pieces like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey after being given contradictory orders: lie to the crew but be completely truthful. Pretty much like anything on Twitter.

I’m mixing movie metaphors, but if Sarah Connor’s interactions with the Terminator taught us anything, it’s that we control our own destiny. Can we unite robotic efficiency and humanity? The fate of journalism could hang in the balance.