Murray Journal | February 2023

‘THERE IS HELP’ FORMER MURRAY GRAD RECOUNTS HIS HOMELESSNESS, URGES STUDENTS SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

In2018, Thomas Schwab graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average from Murray High School.

“I got dropped off my sophomore year with no clue what to do; I hadn’t done school in five years,” he told an auditorium full of Hillcrest Junior High students. “I didn’t know how social circles work or who sat where or anything else.”

Schwab had spent those years skipping school, working odd jobs to help his family survive. When his dad stopped working, they lost their house and moved into a trailer park where Schwab would put in retaining walls or fix things.

Life didn’t get easier for him when his parents split. Initially, he lived with his siblings and mom in a house in the Salt Lake area. He enrolled at Murray High, explaining to his counselor that he missed his later elementary years as well as all of junior high.

However, Schwab said finances grew thin when his mother was pulled out of work, had to rent a car, to go to court in the St. George area where they initially lived with his father. When his mom lost her job and moved to Spanish Fork to be a caretaker, Schwab lived on the streets and worked parttime at Burger King so he could continue school at Murray High.

He said he went unnoticed.

Continued page 4

Murray High graduate Thomas Schwab tells Murray School District secondary students his story of being homeless and to help one another and not to be ashamed to ask for help if they need food, clothing or other items at school. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

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“Take a look around at the people around you, in front of you, behind you. Look at who you know, who you don’t know. How much do you know about the deal that they’re going through? Do you notice struggles and difficulties?” Schwab said. “I had a series of unfortunate circumstances that broke the heart of my entire life and I moved from one place to a bad place to something even worse. When there was no place to call home, I had nowhere to go.”

He remembered one winter night, sleeping outside in a sleeping bag that was supposed to be waterproof, but instead he woke in the middle of the night to find it filled with freezing water.

“I was freezing cold. I just got out and started running to get my feeling back in my legs. I ran down the streets in nothing but gym shorts and a tank top in freezing rain in the middle of the night. I found a dumpster and I climbed inside of to keep myself dry. It was one of the worst and most difficult nights of my life. In the morning, I just went to classes as if nothing ever happened. Not a single person knew or noticed,” Schwab said. “I would often spend extra time in school every single day. Education is very important, but I would spend time in school not just because I love learning, but because I wanted to get away from a reality that I didn’t have a bed.”

Eventually, after the police arrested both his parents, he was taken to a crisis center and got assistance.

“There is help and it’s not something you have to be ashamed to ask for. I know now many people would have reached out if they had known I was homeless. Maybe that would have made my life better, easier. That only will happen if you guys talk to each other, listen to each other. Take a little bit extra effort out of your day to help each other, care about each other,” Schwab said. “And if it’s happening to you, raise your voice up and speak. I never thought to say something. I was convinced I had to deal with it, but your counselors and teachers can be a great support. If there was a room of supplies, I would have taken advantage of that, 100%. So many times, I came to school and my clothes weren’t suited for the weather or my shoes had holes. I would have killed to walk into school with a new pair of shoes or a sweater that fit.”

Hillcrest Junior High has its Hillcrest Home Goods, a classroom filled with personal hygiene items, clothing, food and school supplies available for students who need a helping hand or even if someone needs a snack, said school social worker Courtney Nolan.

Students can take a backpack and fill it with needed items, which are kept organized by the school’s student body officers,

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Latinos-in-Action and dance company.

“This is student organized,” Nolan said. “Students know what other students like. Students just want snacks, not heavy cans. They want clothes that are comfortable. We have deodorant and body wash and things they need. COVID hit our families hard and access to things are more expensive than they have been in the past. We still have a huge stigma in our country talking about how we do struggle. We’re just really trying to make this an inviting place so that kids know we’re here to take care of each other.”

Nolan, who said her No. 1 priority to make kids feel safe, said that “kids cannot learn unless they have a full belly, they’re clothed and feel safe. Wrapping our minds around taking care of the whole child is something that our state and country needs to embrace. Schools are rapidly changing and need to because students are here 80% of their day and social agencies are completely overwhelmed. We’re just trying to help and break down the barriers one step at a time. I don’t want them embarrassed if they aren’t making ends meet at home. I just say, ‘Come say hi, grab a snack, grab what you need.’ Anyone can grab anything. We don’t ask questions.”

Hillcrest ninth-graders Paula Borbon and Lilly Moore have helped stock shelves in the Home Goods room. Some of those donations have come from a schoolwide drive.

“It’s a good idea because some kids might be struggling right now and like the Murray graduate said, it’s OK to get help and talk to people,” Lilly said.

Paula added that she liked being reminded to encourage her to reach out to peers “because a lot of people are afraid to ask for help.”

They said they’ve known peers who have needed help with school fees and have gotten assistance from counselors and administration.

“I’m glad to be able to help. I don’t know who it is who needs help, but it’s nice to know people are getting the help they need,” Paula said.

Lilly added: “He shared an important message when he asked us to look around. He pointed out that you never know everybody’s full story. So, we need to listen, be kind and help someone out.”

Their assistant principal, Lia Smith, agrees.

“We all come from different struggles and Thomas’ message on being there for each other to create a good school community environment is important and relevant for our kids to hear,” she said. “Everyone goes through difficult times, so we all need to love each other and help out.”

Smith taught at Murray High before going into adminis-

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tration. Schwab’s alma mater also hosted him and let students know of its new location in an upstairs room that has supplies for students.

While several schools have supplies, volunteer Pam Andersen helps coordinate Murray High’s effort. Many of the donations come from church congregations and civic organizations.

“We ask for something simple such as consider buying a box of granola bars, nothing that’s too hurtful on the budget, and drop them off,” she said. “If everybody buys one, it will help each teacher to share with kids in class. Often teachers are using their own money to buy snacks for the kids.”

Murray High physics teacher Aaron Daniels said the mentality has changed from when a kid would fall asleep and get in trouble to now showing compassion.

“You don’t know what’s going on, if these kids haven’t slept or eaten, if they don’t feel safe at home,” he said. “We now have snacks like apple slices, applesauce and granola bars in every classroom. Kids are pretty quiet about it, but every week my basket is almost always gone.”

Andersen said other donations such as ramen, cup of soup or microwave macaroni and cheese are popular because it’s grab-and-go and easy for students to make. Mechanical pencil lead, glue sticks, toothbrushes and hoodies, sweats and pants are popular items.

“Students can talk to a teacher, counselor, administration to gain access if the door isn’t open,” she said. “I feel blessed we’re able to help students, and I worry some kids who really need help aren’t in school. Like Thomas said, we need to know our neighbors, take time to notice and be willing to help.”l

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Hillcrest Junior High now offers donated personal hygiene items, clothing, food and school supplies to its students who need a helping hand. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

As Murray City leaders push to refurbish the historic Murray Theater as a performance venue, a century ago, city leaders sought to close its notorious predecessor— the Trocadero. The Trocadero was opened in 1903 and was named after the famous French hall built to house the 1878 World’s Fair.

It is no coincidence that the Trocadero was established soon after the founding of Murray City. The city clamped down on dozens of saloons and the rowdy behavior that was wrecking the town.

Historian Korral Broschinsky wrote, “With the closure of the saloons, aside from church activities, dancing and movies became the focus for Murray entertainment during the first half of the twentieth century. The Trocadero (later called the Alcazar), an octagonal dance pavilion, built around 1900 and demolished before 1942, was the hot spot for Murray citizens for many years.”

In addition to dancing, the venue housed political rallies, boxing, wrestling matches and roller derbies. Built where the present-day Murray Post Office (4989 S. State St.), Arthur E. White and Arley F. Savage constructed the octagonal wooden building with an iron roof.

As a dance venue, the Trocadero had a reputable start. The media first mentions the building in the 1904 Deseret Evening News, stating, “a combination dance of all the (fraternal) lodges in Murray will be held in the Trocadero Hall on Jan. 3 to raise money to furnish the new Fraternal Hall.”

However, with the city clamping down on State Street drunkenness from surrounding saloons, the rowdies soon discovered the Trocadero.

“One of the better indicators of changing attitudes was the Trocadero Dance Hall. It was constantly in trouble with city officials, and its owners frequently changed during the 1910s,” Historian David Schirer wrote. “Murray’s youth continued to be of great concern to city officials during discussions of saloons caught selling liquor to minors, closure of the Trocadero Dance Hall for ‘lewd dancing,’ and the need to control ‘rowdy’ behavior at local baseball games during the 1910s.”

A boxing promotor took ownership of the Trocadero in the 1910s and found a way to soothe the city leaders. According to Schirer, the Trocadero owner hosted city functions to try to trump his troubles.

“The last owner during the decade was Con Gallagher, who also owned a saloon/ pool hall in Murray and acted as chief of the Murray Volunteer Fire Department. His position as fire chief appears to have been the only point in his favor in convincing the city council to grant his application for a dance hall license in 1912. He was immediately called before the council to explain

Wild times at the Murray Trocadero

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

the ‘close and moonlight dancing’ reported at the Trocadero. In his defense, Gallagher claimed that he was forced to allow it. All the other dance halls in the valley allowed this type of dancing, and if he did not, the young people who frequented his hall would quit coming,” Schirer wrote.

The council was not impressed.

Gallagher was also Utah’s premier boxing promoter and brought in big-name fighters like Young Peter Jackson, who, during his career, squared off against the legendary Jack Johnson in a bout for the latter’s “World ‘Colored’ Heavyweight Title.” Jackson would return to the Trocadero to train boxers. Newspapers flocked to the site to cover Fireman Jim Flynn’s fights, and heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey would also hold court there when visiting his mother, who lived nearby.

Nonetheless, despite its notoriety, city leaders eventually prevailed against the Trocadero.

“After several discussions and citations, the Trocadero was closed for good, and dancing was transferred to one of the local churches where it would be adequately monitored,” Schirer wrote.

New owners reopened the Trocadero in the 1920s as the Alcazar, named after a Spanish castle. While the Alcazar seemingly had fewer scandals and appearances before the city council less often, the hall closed in 1942, eventually being demolished.

For as many events held at the Trocadero, not many photographs are known to exist of the place. Yet, ironically, its best-documented history remains in the records of testy city council minutes. l

One of the few photos of the Trocadero. People stand in front of the State Street venue, viewing the aftermath of a car accident. (Photo courtesy of the Murray Museum)

Boxer Young Peter Jackson fought at the Trocadero on his way to challenge Jack Johnson. He later came back to Murray as a trainer to other boxers. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

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.

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

Writing isn’t easy, author tells students

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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 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?” 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 “Unwind,” “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

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)

Before leaving Albion Middle, winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Neal Shusterman answered a few questions and signed books for students in the school library. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

Team Longview participates in Bowl for the Cure to support colleague

The first weekend of February, several Longview Elementary teachers and their families will be lacing up their bowling shoes to take part in the Great Salt Lake Bowling Association’s Bowl for the Cure.

While they’re thankful it’s an opportunity to have fun while getting some strikes, it’s a way they can support their colleague, fourth-grade teacher Anne Kjar, who is recovering from breast cancer this past year.

“I was diagnosed through a regular mammogram in May of 2022,” Kjar said. “It was caught early, thankfully. After a few scares and some surgeries, I began radiation in August and did radiation every weekday after school for six weeks.”

Kjar and 10 members of her family will bowl for free as Longview’s 50 teachers and staff paid not only their donations as well as their own $20 per person contribution, said first-grade teacher Mike Okurmura, who coordinated their participation in the event.

“I got to thinking every year my sister and niece participate in Bowl for the Cure, and I’m from a bowling family who bowls in leagues and tournaments, and I put that together with instead of doing a faculty white elephant gift exchange during the holidays, we could put our money toward supporting Anne,” he said. “When I suggested it, everyone was excited to support our friend in this fun way.”

Kjar isn’t one to be in the spotlight. After her diagnosis, she didn’t tell her colleagues right away.

“When I was first diagnosed, I went outside and sat in my car and cried,” she remembered. “I then had a comforting thought that everything was going to be OK. It has been a test of my faith and I knew it may be hard, but I could do it. It has been an emotional journey, but one filled with many blessings.”

Those blessings have been her family and also her Longview family.

“The Longview staff and faculty have been absolutely

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,

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

incredible. They’ve done several things to show their support. They have done a ‘We’ve Got This Wednesdays,’ where everyone wears pink including pink ribbons, pink breast cancer socks and pink wrist bands. They held a celebration when I completed my radiation. I’ve had gifts and cards and simple hugs, which have all made my day,” she said.

Kjar appreciates Principal Rebecca Te’o for allowing her to leave 20 minutes early for radiation and thankful for her colleagues who have helped dismiss her class. When it was time for those treatments, she let her students’ parents know why she wouldn’t be in class those last minutes of the school day.

“My students and the parents have been amazing. I’ve had darling notes given to me, gift cards so I haven’t had to make dinner, and other small gifts. I’ve had several students join with the faculty in wearing pink. It’s pretty sweet to see ‘tough’ fourth-grade boys wearing pink shirts and socks in support of their teacher. The radiation has made me extra tired, but fortunately, I haven’t had to miss many days of school,” she said, adding that now the "We've Got This Wednesdays" is “really to support everyone in whatever they may be going through. Initially, it started as a support for me, however, it became a support for all of us since everyone has a story and is going through stuff, just not always visible.”

Okurmura’s wife, Sharon, a former elementary school teacher, has stepped in when Kjar has needed a substitute.

“Anne never misses so it was unusual I was subbing the end of the school year for a couple days. That’s when she had breast cancer surgery. Then, she had several radiation treatments this fall. She’s strong and she’s never wavered; she been there for those kids through all of it,” Sharon Okurmura said.

Her husband was glad Kjar agreed to allow the faculty to support her through Bowling for the Cure.

“I don’t think she wants everyone to feel sorry for her. She’s very independent and very generous, but she had to

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.

be reminded that she needed to let people give back to her,” Okurmura said.

Kjar remembered when he asked.

“I was very humbled to say the least. Naturally, my initial reaction is to say no, but I recognize this journey isn’t only about me. If it helps bring awareness and help someone else, then I’m all for it,” she said. “I am not a bowler, but it is fun to do. At this point, I hope and have faith that I am cancer-free and that I stay that way. As hard as some of the days have been, I have been so blessed throughout this journey. I am surrounded by my incredible family and a very supportive principal and great faculty.”

With the help of special education specialist Katie McBride, who has bowled in the event before, Team Longview is ready not only to support Kjar in Bonwood Bowl’s lanes, but also to remember “don’t let the turkeys get you down” because in bowling, a turkey is three strikes in a row “and that’s a good score,” Okurmura said. l

“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 principal.’ 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

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

Last year, 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

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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)

Making connections in science critical to award-winning teacher’s approach

Working to provide students’ thinking and application of science through individual discovery is what Murray High science teacher Aaron Daniels does, so when he was nominated for the Utah Science Outstanding Physics 2022 Educator of the Year award, he shared his approach to teaching both in and outside of the classroom.

On a given day, students will have hands-on opportunities. A couple times each term, he sets up lab stations with about a dozen quick, simple experiments as an opportunity to learn.

“Our class is lab-based and approached conceptually so students get real-world application of physics principles,” he said. “They can make mistakes, retry and learn from those and from my immediate feedback.”

At one station, there’s a Styrofoam plate with a pie-shape cut out, resembling Pac-Man, but supposed to represent the moon. Students spin a ball bearing around the inside rim of the plate, where force will keep the ball moving in a circular motion, to learn which way the moon will go if earth’s gravity is suddenly switched off.

In another activity, students stack four washers on top of another on a smooth surface. Then, he asks students to flick another washer at the bottom of the stack to predict what will happen.

Another day, he will walk students to the nearby freight elevator “to see what happens” to their weight.

“I ask students to make predictions about if they’ll weigh more on the way up than they do on the way down,” Daniels said. “When you ride in the elevator, you’re not accelerating on the way up or way down except for the very beginning and end when it jerks on your stomach. So, in the middle on the way up or down, the scale is going to reach a real weight, but just when you slow down on the bottom, it’s going to be greater than your weight. As you start up, it’ll be greater than your weight, but when you get to the top and stop, it will be less. It’s a way they can experience and learn firsthand that you can’t separate inertia, momentum and acceleration.”

It’s a bit safer than how he learned those principles at age 15 when he crashed the new family car at five miles per hour into a brick mailbox two doors down from his house.

“It caused a lot of damage—new hood, new bumper, new quarter panel, new passenger door because that wouldn’t even open,” Daniels remembered. “But I learned that something that mass has got a ton of inertia. It takes a ton of force to stop something like that. You don’t have to be moving fast because it’s mass times velocity. So, I learned mass in motion is what momentum

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

is. I share that story as they’re learning to drive for the first time to be aware and if they can learn that through me by hitting anything, then that’s a lot better. I just want them to connect how life experiences can teach them what they learn in class.”

Through his 19 years of teaching science, he has taken students on field trips and STEM career days and has coached students in both Vex robotics and Science Olympiad, even taking his team last year to Cedar City to compete at the state tournament. He also has coached science bowl teams.

His students have learned to apply their knowledge of Newton’s three laws through an egg drop from not only the school’s football stadium bleachers, but also from the 60-foot sky ride at Lagoon when they host Utah State University’s annual physics day.

It’s a way they can learn about force and the relationship between time and change as well as transfer of energy and energy conversion, Daniels said.

During physics day, students also can make a force sensor, then ride and calculate the velocity of the roller coaster to determine the G forces. That activity, he said, is always a favorite.

Another hands-on activity students look forward to participating in is the annual design-your-own boat with just cardboard and duct tape to paddle across Murray’s outdoor pool.

“I’m hoping they apply the engineering principles and the design process they learned,” Daniels said at last spring’s water test. “This one is a little more fun and a tradition at the end of the year.”

This year, students will learn physics through a “scrambler.”

“We’ll have a weight on either the car or on the ground that launches the car that only can be powered by a falling weight. Then, I’ll give them a random distance, and there will be an egg at the end. If they go too far, they break the egg, and that’s bad. They’re trying to get to the wall as fast as they can, as close as they can, but not break the egg,” Daniels said. “The thing I really like is engineering challenges. Some of the kids find it frustrating, because sometimes it doesn’t work the way they want it. But that’s part of the design and redesign of the engineering process.”

The Utah Science Teaching Association’s crystal science award now sits on the desk of the educator, who was inspired by his own marine biology teacher to pursue the profession, and now finds passion in teaching environmental science, biology, physical science, human biology, physics with technology and other physical and life science courses and Advanced Placement classes in addition to physics. He has taught science to students at Murray High and in Casper, Wyoming in his career after earning

his bachelor’s degree in biology and physical science from Brigham Young University and his master’s degree in education from Western Governor’s University.

Outside of class, Daniels keeps current on teaching and science through professional development conferences, collaborating and mentoring his peers and in 2019, being selected as part of a 14-member science educator team for a STEM transatlantic outreach program in Germany.

He said the award has been a “pretty cool recognition. Being a teacher is more than a job, it’s a lifestyle.”

“I like interacting with students. I like how learning broadens students’ view and it’s a kick in the pants to see kids do that,” he said, remembering when one of his Wyoming students took him up on an extra credit assignment to attend a Water Conservation Board public meeting related to his class. “He walks out at the end of that meeting and says, ‘Mr. Daniels, all the stuff we’re doing is real. That’s just like what we do in school.’ I had another student who had drug and other problems tell me to ‘pass me and I’ll get out of your hair.’ I told him to let me know when he wanted help, but he had to do the work. About five years later, he cleaned up, got a job as a mechanic and was going to buy a house. He came back to say, ‘Thank you for helping me graduate.’ Sometimes you don’t realize the difference you make in kids or in their lives, whether it’s immediate or later, but knowing you made that impact makes all the difference.”

Murray High science teacher Aaron Daniels, who was named Utah Science Outstanding Physics Educator, demonstrates his students’ hands-on experiment. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Murray High science teacher Aaron Daniels was named Utah Science Outstanding Physics Educator by the Utah Science Teaching Association. (Photo courtesy of David Vala)

I like interacting with students. I like how learning broadens students’ view and it’s a kick in the pants to see kids do that.

Aaron Daniels

Local schoolchildren serve, benefit from Murray Children’s Pantry

In 2020, when public health officials mandated a 6-feet mandatory distance between non-family members, Utah Virtual Academy initially moved their food pantry outside to a drive-thru until administrators could find another way to help serve their families in need.

Soon after, they partnered with the Murray Children’s Pantry, an independent pantry in the heart of Murray at 170 E. 5770 South.

That partnership allows for UTVA’s online students to serve their community by helping stock the shelves with nonperishable food items and to accept donations on behalf of the pantry as well as to take advantage of items available if needed, said school student services administrator LuAnn Charles.

Recently, about 90 UTVA students who are experiencing homelessness and/or are economically disadvantaged were given “blessing bags” to help them through the winter break.

The bags, which were filled by the nonprofit Courtney Anderson Foundation in St. George, contained Modere products such as soap, shampoo and lotion, as well as other personal hygiene items, laundry detergent, stocking hats, blankets and school supplies. Charles said the foundation has helped provide funds to UTVA families in need.

“We told our families to get blessing bags to help and at the same time, fill a box of food to help sustain them,” Charles said. “This year is a little tougher than other years during COVID. I’ve had more families say ‘We’re in desperate need’ so it’s the biggest response we’ve have within our school for the blessing bags. There are about 10 families in need who have come to me and said, ‘I don’t have money for gas,’ and they live close to the Murray area so I’m delivering bags and food to them. We know a student is unable to learn if they are hungry and if they are worried about their basic needs. A parent is unable to support their students if they are struggling to make ends meet and consumed with worry of how do I provide for my child. Being able to offer this is the best part. We’re grateful for our partnerships in helping our students and their families.”

Families arrived by car, and volunteers quickly rushed out to fill their requests.

One UTVA mother, who wished not to be named, said “there’s nothing back home for my children. I came to help get food to sustain my family so this is a great thing. I’m very grateful.”

A volunteer, who also wished to be anonymous, was helping in the pantry. He volunteers on a regular basis when the pantry is open on Tuesday mornings and the third Saturday morning of each month.

“I help because for any school child to be hungry in America, there’s no justification,” he said, adding that thousands of meals are distributed from the pantry every week. “We have an abundance in our country, in

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

our community, and children shouldn’t be hungry.”

The retired civil servant remembers a story when a second-grade teacher was helping a child pack up her belongings for the weekend and the child began to cry. The teacher asked the student what was wrong, he said.

“The child said, ‘School is where I eat,’” he said. “Children shouldn’t cry when they go home for the weekend because they’re going to be hungry.”

Murray Children’s Pantry board member Steve McGinty also was volunteering, taking donations of shelf-stable and canned food items from cars as they pulled up, including contributions from Murray police chief Craig D. Burnett. McGinty was carrying out cartons filled with items as quickly as food was donated.

“We’ve seen an increase in the last couple months,” he said. “We’re seeing demographics change in our school and more families are struggling. We’re wanting to help.”

Coordinating the 20 volunteers in the former home of the Murray Baptist Church pastor was Jennifer Brass, who sat with a clipboard in her lap amongst boxes waiting to be filled with canned goods stocked on the shelves.

The children’s pantry opened under Brass and her husband, Jim, three years ago to provide food for children who were out of school for the summer and didn’t have access to school lunches. Their goal to eliminate childhood hunger within the Murray community during the summer has spread to welcome anyone in need of food all year.

“The first couple months was mostly taking in donations; people hadn’t heard about us yet,” Brass said. “When COVID hit, it started to be less on just children needing food as more families were impacted with sickness and from loss of jobs. We started building the family boxes of food. On a typical week, we put out 12 family boxes, which

feeds a family of four three meals for a week. But today, this is exceptional. We’ve already given our 22 boxes.”

She said many families are feeling the pinch.

“That’s a big thing right now—to make rent, they can’t buy the gas to get to their job, they need food assistance. We would rather assist with food, than for them to lose their job or lose their home,” Brass said.

She said fortunately all the food is donated by generous community members. They also received donations of assistance when they moved into the donated pastor’s home.

“It’s been an incredible journey. When we moved in, there were a few things that needed to be done—and most of those were done through donations,” Brass said. “The kitchen has been renovated. We put in a furnace and when the worker saw what was going on in here, he didn’t charge us for the labor. After the original ramp into our building was stolen, we had a new ramp within a week that was donated to us. We have so many generous people and so many wonderful stories.”

While USANA Kids Eat program provides food for youth in Murray School District, the Murray Children’s Pantry offers help to Murray schools in the Granite School District as well as others, such as UTVA. They also provide food to the senior center and to local veterans.

“With kids, we send out a tote bag which is meant for one child for two days, so it’s a smaller amount of food that they’re able to carry for a shorter time period,” Brass said.

Twin Peaks Elementary’s Zee Stewart picked up tote bags to give to students.

“I have 80 kids and the numbers of kids who are in need continue to go up,” she said. “We started this year with 55 and it’s hard when the cost of everything increases. We also have a lot of refugees at our school, and we have kids who are in shelters so this can help them. I worry most when there are school breaks. What are they going to do for 14 days? We put together a list of pantries that are open, but they all don’t have the transportation to get there.”

Stewart said all three years the pantry has been open, food donations have helped sustain Twin Peaks students.

“Our former principal used to come over here and grab 15 bags three years ago. Last year, I took over to pick up about 25 bags,” said the behavioral aide and part-time librarian who uses her own car to get students their food. “The children’s pantry is just amazing; they reached out to our district, and Granite School District is a big district, to offer help to the local schools because that’s who they are and who they can help serve.”

Brass is appreciative for Murray’s support in providing for others.

“This is a miracle,” she said. “You come in here and you see all these people, all different shapes and sizes, all different religions and sexes, and they’re all working together to create something very positive to give to our children and our neighbors in our community. I feel fortunate and it’s good to help, but it just about breaks my heart that so many people are in need.” l

Volunteers help fill boxes of food for Murray school children and their families while Murray Children’s Pantry’s Jennifer Brass, seated, keeps track of their numbers. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Utah Virtual Academy school student services administrator LuAnn Charles gives out blessing bags to students in need during a Tuesday in December when the Murray Children’s Pantry was open. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Markham begins stint on Murray City Council

He lost an election to the city council by just six votes to Dave Nicponski in 2010, but now Phil Markham has been appointed to that seat in 2023. At a Dec. 12 special Murray City Council meeting, the council selected Markham to fill the District 1 City Councilor seat made vacant by outgoing council member Kat Martinez.

Markham was one of six applicants (nine had applied initially), including former city councilor Jeff Dredge, Roberto Paul Picket, Michael Richards, David Rodgers and Scot Woodbury. The applicants answered questions from the current city council, which then voted on two finalists.

The finalists, Markham and Richards, advanced through to

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

enced approach to critical issues facing the city this year. I am willing to compromise when necessary, but I will not cave to pressure when dealing with difficult decisions.”

He served on the Murray City Planning and Zoning Commission and was involved in hearing proposals regarding hot topics issues of historical structures and downtown developments.

“Historical structures are very important to Murray. Not all old structures have historical value, and they should not stand in the way of progress,” Markham said.

Furthermore, Markham has a definite idea of how to proceed with the downtown area.

Utah. Financed by Altabank.

Murray legislators announce bills for 2023 general legislative session

Murray's representative and state senators convened for the 2023 General Session of the State Legislature on Jan. 17. The following is a summation of Murray's legislators' 20 numbered bills on opening day, meaning they were ready to be considered before the legislative branch. Legislators can still add bills to the docket throughout the session.

Sen. Stephanie Pitcher

S.B. 15 Juvenile Offender Penalty Amendments bill addresses the sentencing of a juvenile offender for the conviction of certain sexual offenses.

S.B. 43 Public Notice Requirements bill creates classifications for types of public notices where each requires notice to be provided in specific ways and amends public notice provisions to implement the new classification system.

S.B. 66 Criminal Citation Dismissals bill requires that a court dismiss the charges contained in a citation that the prosecuting attorney certifies was issued in error.

S.B. 67 Juvenile Commitment Amendments changes provisions regarding extending a juvenile offender's term of secure care.

S.B. 68 Restricted Person Possession Amendments amends offenses related to a restricted person possessing a dangerous weapon, including ammunition.

S.B. 69 Firearm Identification Amendments make possession of a firearm on which the identifying marks have been altered or removed a crime.

S.B. 70 Victim Amendments updates provisions related to the address confidentiality program for victims.

S.B. 72 Child Abuse Requirement's bill provides that the clergy exemption for the required reporting of child abuse or neglect does not apply if a clergy member has reason to believe that abuse or neglect is ongoing or is likely to occur again. It requires a member of the clergy to report information about child abuse or neglect if the clergy member discloses the information to a third party in certain circumstances.

S.B. 73 Gratuity Amendments allow a tipped employee to participate in a tip-sharing arrangement with another employee who is not a tipped employee under certain circumstances.

S.B. 80 Driver's License Suspension and Revocation Amendment permits a court to shorten the driver's license suspension or revocation period for an individual convicted of driving under the influence violation if the individual participates in or completes specific problem-solving court programs.

Sen. Nate Blouin

Newly elected Sen. Blouin had no numbered bills posted as of the start of the session. However, Blouin has stated that he may present a bill to support Gov. Spenser Cox's proposal to provide free public transit.

Rep. Gay Lynn Bennion

H.B. 27 Drug Possession Penalty Amendment modifies the definition of a restricted person possessing a dangerous weapon and a controlled substance. It reduces the penalty, in certain circumstances, for a restricted person in possession of marijuana.

H.B. 95 Noise Pollution Amendments bill requires vehicles subject to an emissions inspection to be inspected for compliance with noise suppression equipment requirements. It also requires proof of the inspection as a condition of registration.

Rep. Bennion told KUER that her bill "would not require police to chase down vehicles with a decibel meter. Instead, when a vehicle goes in for an emissions inspection

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

in Cache, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake or Utah counties, it would be checked to see if the muffler has been modified. If it has, the owner can't register the vehicle until it's fixed."

H.B. 141 Driver License Test Amendments allow the Driver License Division to begin administering specific examinations in languages other than English, subject to availability.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss

H.B. 189 International Baccalaureate Program bill removes language limiting the state board's allocation of funds toward the International Baccalaureate program to align with other early college programs.

Rep. Andrew Stoddard

H.B. 29 Mental Health Support and Law Enforcement Co-response bill establishes a grant program administered by the Division of Integrated Healthcare to fund an appropriate response to an individual experiencing a mental health crisis through new or expanded crisis intervention or mobile crisis outreach teams.

It provides that the Division shall certify the teams, looking to national models for input. Also, it requires the teams to create or expand through the program to work in partnership to implement or enhance a local crisis response model and system.

H.B. 89 Gun Safety Amendments bill creates a waiting period between the purchase of a firearm from a dealer and the delivery of the firearm to the purchaser and makes exceptions to the waiting period.

H.B. 97 Government Records Access Amendments modifies the definition of "record" and enacts a definition of "personal electronic device" for the Government Records Access and Management Act. This will provide a process for searching the personal

electronic device of an officer or employee of a governmental entity for records that are responsive to a record request. Also, it will provide criminal penalties for an officer or employee who refuses to conduct a search or submits a false sworn declaration. It also modifies a provision allowing a governmental entity to impose disciplinary action against an employee.

H.B. 98 Process Server Amendments allow certain special function officers to serve court documents when the use of force is authorized or when a breach of the peace is imminent or likely.

H.B. 156 Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry and Child Abuse Offender Registry Administration Amendments move the administration of the Sex and Kidnap Registry and the Child Abuse Offender Registry from the Department of Corrections to the Department of Public Safety.

H.B. 158 Electronic Information or Data Privacy Act Modifications provides that law enforcement may obtain a specific category of electronic information or data with a subpoena under certain conditions. In addition, it amends notification provisions after a search warrant has been executed.

HCR 1 Concurrent Resolution Encouraging Discussion about Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse resolution encourages discussion about ways in which Utah's government, communities, and residents can prevent child sexual abuse and support those affected.

Rep. Mark Wheatley

H.B. 142 Kidney Health Task Force bill creates a task force to provide recommendations on improving kidney health in Utah.

Updates on legislative bills can be found online at www. le.utah.gov/. l

Murray legislators at the Utah State Capitol started the session off with 20 bills. (Photo courtesy Utah State Capitol)

After a tragic accident, local woman determined to live life to its fullest

Days before Christmas 2021, Heather Vanboerum visited the Murray Costco to pick up a few last-minute supplies for a holiday party. She also was anticipating, any day, the birth of her granddaughter. However, minutes later, terror struck the 51-year-old mother as she headed out into the parking lot and heard screams; she turned around to see an out-of-control car careening toward her. Before she could do anything, the vehicle plowed into her, pinning her to another car.

Vanboerum’s right leg was severed, and her left leg mutilated, where she was losing blood fast and had minutes to live. Fast-thinking Costco employees responded by placing a tourniquet. At the time of the crash, she was on the phone with her husband, Don, an ER doctor across the road at Intermountain Medical Center.

That Christmas Eve, Vanboerum’s legs were amputated. Her hospital bed was wheeled across the hospital days later to visit her new grandbaby.

While in the hospital, Vanboerum decided her attitude toward her situation would be to live life to the fullest.

Vanboerum has defied expectations at every turn in her recovery—fit with her first prosthetic leg in March and her second in June at Murray’s Hanger Clinic. She has worked hard to walk independently and return to the activities she loves: playing pickleball, cycling and hiking with her family. Her next goal: learn to ski.

One of Vanboerum’s biggest supporters is Hanger Clinic’s prosthetist and area clinic manager, Wendy Remington. Remington has been there since the beginning, providing hope to Vanboerum in the hospital, helping Vanboerum take her first steps, and now assisting Vanboerum to conquer adaptive sports and recreation—celebrating the little victories along the way. Vanboerum is also now paying it forward by participating in life-saving emergency care initiatives in the community, teaching several classes through the local EMS team.

“It’s hard to be negative when so many people around you are cheering you on,” Vanboerum said. “I think of the many heroic efforts it took to get me where I am today, and I am so grateful to everyone.”

“Heather’s authenticity and openness to learning have been a huge part of her success. From day one, Heather has worked hard, set goals, and embraced her new situation with courage and willingness to tackle the unknown. I find an adaptable and open mindset like Heather’s can be a big asset to someone recovering from a traumatic injury in maintaining physical, mental and emotional health,” Remington said.

According to Vanboerum, she focused on three aspects of her life that would carry her through this tragedy.

“I would recommend checking in dai-

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

ly with oneself in three areas. I focused on mental, spiritual and physical healing. I recognized early on that if I was struggling in one area, the other two areas suffered as well. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. The stronger you stay, the faster you heal,” Vanboerum said.

Remington also provided insights into how others can help one going through a difficult life change.

“One of the best ways to support someone when they have had a life-altering injury is to practice empathy. Learning to adapt to a significant life change is difficult for the

person going through it and the family and friends supporting the affected person. Everyone will have a grieving process to adjust to the feelings that come up with such a life-changing event like limb loss. The best thing someone can do is reach out for help if they are struggling or if they see their family members struggle with feeling alone or overwhelmed in the process,” Remington said.

Hanger Clinic offers peer mentorship through its AMPOWER program, where they provide help and encouragement to amputees going through the recovery process by sharing resources, providing emotional support, and answering questions about the recovery process.

“It’s also important to build a strong community, so new prosthetic users do not feel alone in their journey, which is why

we host group events and activities such as EmpowerFest, adaptive bike rides, running clinics, support groups and more,” Remington said.

“There really aren’t ‘days of discouragement’ as much as there are moments or times of discouragement,” Vanboerum said. “So, really taking everything moment by moment or hour by hour helps me to move on from discouraging times. A really cool guy named Tommy, that I met at an amputee event last summer, gave me some great advice. He said when things get tough, and they will, let yourself feel it and sit in it. Then he said to kick yourself in the butt and get movin’ forward. I have reminded myself to do so often.” l

Heather Vanboerum. (Photo courtesy Heather Vanboerum)

Heather Vanboerum in the hospital with her husband, Don. (Photo courtesy Heather Vanboerum)

Heather cycling with her new prosthetic legs. (Photo courtesy Heather Vanboerum)

Heather Vanboerum learning to walk with prosthetic legs. (Photo courtesy Heather Vanboerum)

Murray man may have set a weightlifting world record

After overcoming physical adversity, a Murray man broke the record for a bicep curl weightlifting record. Now he has a new challenge to overcome—getting it recognized officially by the record books.

Jared Dangerfield smashed the world record for the preacher curl by lifting 275 pounds. The preacher curl, the strictest form of bicep curling, requires the lifter to place their elbows on a bench resembling a preacher’s pulpit and curl the weights toward their body. The previous record was 225 pounds.

“I had always preferred them over the standard standing lifts. I tend to like to do the harder lifts. They prove that when you succeed, there’s no question you have done well,” Dangerfield said.

Starting as at an “out-of-shape” 330 pounds seven years ago, Dangerfield lost 110 pounds. He became a student of anything weightlifting, sometimes going seven days a week. He worked closely with a local supplement shop owner to focus on his diet.

“I try to get a consistent intake of protein and simple carbs, mixing up my diet to include Keto, intermittent fasting and natural foods. I train in heavy intervals with short sets, typically three sets of five reps, breaking down each section of the muscle to isolate individual fibers in high-compres-

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

sion lifts. I have had gym sessions where I couldn’t walk out of the building due to my body seizing up or cramping uncontrollably. I’ve spent most Monday nights for the past five years, unable to bend my arms all the way because my biceps Charlie horsing (cramping) every time I try. Following two days after every workout, the section I’ve worked on is tender and sore. That is standard protocol for a gym nerd,” Dangerfield said.

Eight weeks before he set the record, he would lift 255 pounds for three sets of five reps until he could handle 265. Next, he started curling 265 pounds for one set of five and then dropped to 255 pounds for the remaining two sets. He repeated this until three weeks before the lift, where he started doing all the sets at 265 pounds.

Along the way, he suffered a broken collarbone and torn muscles in his forearm and shoulder. Not to mention, as Dangerfield puts it, “the normal day-to-day grind that comes with committing to anything worthwhile.”

A native Texan, he sells pipe and tubing for Marmon Keystone and hopes his weightlifting achievement inspires his children, Aiden and Amberlin.

“I want my kids to know that if you do

what you love, work hard, and are patient, anything is possible,” Dangerfield said. “Their childhood is much different than growing up as I did in the 90s. In our digital age, you can get lost and feel insignificant quite often. But knowing them and seeing what they have and are overcoming. I just want to be the example that proves they can make a mark if they try hard and don’t quit.”

According to Dangerfield, his role models for doing this were his mother and football player Steve Young.

“Having people like them in my life helped me grow up into the man I am today. I wish I would have had someone like myself to guide me and show me how in so many different aspects of my life. I would have made a lot less mistakes and had an easier time,” Dangerfield said.

Dangerfield still has one more challenge: getting it recognized in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”

“At this point, they are interested in coming out; only if I pay them the starting price of $12,000,” Dangerfield said.

Evidently, the publishers need to physically be on hand to certify the record even though there is video evidence of him breaking the record multiple times. Dangerfield is currently searching for a sponsor in his quest.

“If I get sponsored either by an individual or a company, I can pay Guinness to document the record, bring attention to Utah, a fitness club, or a business,” Dangerfield said.

Jared Dangerfield breaks the weightlifting world record for the preacher curl. (Photo courtesy of Jared Dangerfield)

Jared Dangerfield warmed up before breaking the preacher curl world record with dumbbell curls. (Photo courtesy of Jared Dangerfield)

FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS

Mayor’s Message

Thinking About Solar for Your Home?

Murray City Power’s Net Metering Program –one of the rst in Utah – is o ered to residential and commercial customers interested in installing their own rooftop solar generation. The program began in 2006 and has increased in popularity over the years as the cost of solar materials has gone down. The primary bene t of installing a solar energy system is to o set energy purchased from the utility with clean, renewable energy from the sun. More than 250 Murray City Power customers have installed rooftop solar energy systems, with a total installed generating capacity of about 1.5 megawatts.

“Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid,” says Murray City Power’s Matt Youngs. “For example, a customer’s solar energy system may generate more electricity than a home uses during daylight hours. At night and on cloudy or overcast days, the customer will still use electricity from the grid. A special net meter keeps track of electricity owing to and from the grid, and the customer is billed only for their ‘net’ energy use. Murray City Power currently credits net metering customers at the retail rate (one-to-one) for any excess electricity exported to the grid.”

If you’re interested in solar there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• State and Federal tax credits are available, additional information can be found online.

• Solar marketing is sometimes based on the premise of higher electric bills and regular rate increases. Murray City Power has not had any recent rate increases, so if your utility bill seems to be getting more expensive, it’s most likely due to more electricity being used, or increased costs of other services (water, sewer, garbage, etc.).

• Any salesperson claiming to have “partnered with Murray City” is not accurate. Murray City does not work with, or endorse, any speci c vendor.

• Most solar energy systems are grid-tied, and unless installed with a battery backup system, will not provide electricity during power outages.

Still interested? Here is a checklist of things to do:

• Obtain a building permit

• Purchase a Net Meter

• Complete the Interconnection Agreement

• Install your solar system

• Pass a nal inspection

• Test the new system and install the net and production meters

Please contact Murray City Power with any questions. Additional information can be found on Murray’s website: murray.utah.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5808/ MCP-Net-Metering-Interconnection-Agmt?bidId=

Message from the Council

Introductions Are In Order...

I have just nished my rst full year on the Murray City Council. I have learned and done so much in that time. With that being said, I would like to share my “Re ections on 2022.”

For many years I have used my calendars as a journal, that way I know what I have accomplished and what I still need to work on. As I look through my rst year’s calendar of being on the Murray City Council, I now know why this year went by so quickly. The rst few months I met with city department heads so I could learn what they and their departments do for our City. I learned a tremendous amount about the inner workings of our city and also how Murray City is involved with groups like the ULCT (Utah League of Cities and Towns), UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems), APPA (American Public Power Association) and IPA (Intermountain Power Agency).

Murray City is in great hands with so many wonderful people that give their time to volunteer whenever they see a need. I have been given the opportunity to work with the Murray Area Chamber of Commerce where I have attended ribbon cutting ceremonies and met with various di erent business owners. I have also been lucky enough to work with a few of those business owners in a charity event known as the Haunted Woods.

When some of our outstanding employees have retired or have been promoted to di erent ranks in their various departments, it has been a great pleasure for me to be able to attend and say, “Thank you for your time and service to our City” or “Congratulations on progressing in your career with the City.”

The time to say, “Good-Bye” to the old city hall is swiftly approaching. It is a bitter-sweet Good-Bye to this building which has given us service long beyond its intended years! We are all looking forward to moving into our new city hall which is nearing completion. If you haven’t seen it, please drive by and take a look. It will be so nice to have a safe, modern building when it is completed.

I will always make time for the citizens of Murray. That is what I said on the campaign trail and I will always stand by that. I am always available for conversations, texts, and emails from those who work or live in Murray.

I’m looking forward to another busy year, with each day being a new adventure.

Thank you for choosing Murray City to work, to live, to play or to open a business here. We welcome you with open arms and wish you all a successful 2023.

CITY COUNCIL

Council District 1 Philip J. Markham 801-518-1719 pmarkham@murray.utah.gov

Council District 2 Pam Cotter 801-541-8364 pcotter@murray.utah.gov

Council District 3 Rosalba Dominguez 801-330-6232 rosalba.dominguez@murray.utah.gov

Council District 4 Diane Turner 801-635-6382 diane.turner@murray.utah.gov

Council District 5 Gerry Hrechkosy 385-800-1796 ghrechkosy@murray.utah.gov

Executive Director Jennifer Kennedy Office: 801-264-2622 jkennedy@murray.utah.gov

Telephone Agenda Information 801-264-2525

Pam Cotter District #2

Pam Cotter District 2

Murray Senior Recreation Center

10 East 6150 South, Murray, Utah 84107

801-264-2635

seniorrec@murray.utah.gov

murray.utah.gov/140Senior-Recreation-Center mcreg.com

Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Closed Saturday and Sunday

Check our website for any changes in programs.

DAILY LUNCH By Chef Omar Limon

Date: Tuesday through Friday

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Cost: Cost is $5; prior registration not required

SPECIAL EVENTS

FAMILY CONCERT SERIES

Date: Monday, Feb. 13 – Tony Summerhays

Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free; no appointment needed open to all ages and doors open at 6:00 p.m.

CLASSES

CERAMICS

Date: Tuesday and Thursday

Time: 9:00 a.m. – noon

Cost: $1.50 each class plus cost of supplies

GRIEF SUPPORT

Date: Friday, Feb. 10 and 24

Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free; Register now

VITAL AGING: Aging And Independence

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 28

Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Cost: Free; register now

DANCE

LINE DANCE: BEGINNING

Date: Tuesdays

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: $10 for the month; register now

THURSDAY EVENING SOCIAL DANCE

Live Music provided by Tony Summerhays

Date: Thursdays

Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Cost: $5

EXERCISE

DAILY EXERCISE CLASSES – check our current newsletter for the schedule

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Murray Arts Beat

For additional information, please contact Lori Edmunds at 801-264-2620

MURRAY PARK 2024 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

In 1918, city officials started discussing the idea of creating a city park. It was not until 1924, under Mayor C. Lester, that Murray Park was first established after purchasing land from the Freeze family. The first official use of the park was an Arbor Day celebration, April 15, 1924. 65 Poplars, 8 Norway Maples, and 3 Sycamores were planted. In an effort to celebrate Murray Park’s upcoming centennial celebration, the Murray City History Advisory Board is collecting memories and photographs of Murray Park to place in a publication. At this time, we are looking for any stories and photographs of the Salt Lake County Fairgrounds in Murray Park. The County fair opened at Murray Park September 2, 1939. The fairgrounds have since been moved to South Jordan City. If you have any memories attending the fair or photographs to share, please contact Katie Lindquist (klindquist@ murray.utah.gov | 801-264-2638).

Murray youth participated in Missoula Children’s Theatre 2023 production of “Johnny Appleseed” on January 14, 2023.

2023 MURRAY PARK AMPHITHEATER MUSICALS

Information on auditions for the summer musicals will be posted online at www.murray.utah. gov/1642/Auditions as they become available. Information will also be posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages. (@ MurrayCityCulturalArts)

SENIOR CENTER CONTINUED

PROGRAMS

HAND AND FOOT CARD GAME

Date: Mondays

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

BRIDGE LESSONS

Date: Mondays

Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

MEXICAN TRAIN DOMINOS GAME

Date: Thursdays

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

THE PARK CENTER HOURS

Monday - Friday 5:30am - 9pm

Saturday 7am - 5pm

Sunday 9am - 2pm

10-WEEK STORYTELLING

WORKSHOP

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 18 –Wednesday, Mar. 22

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free; Register now

HEALTH SERVICES

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC by Harmony Home Health

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 8

Time: 10:30 a.m. – noon

Cost: Free; no appointment necessary

HEARING SCREENING

Date: Mondays

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free; advance appointment required

HAIRCUTS

Date: Wednesdays

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Cost: $10; advance appointment required

MASSAGE THERAPY

Date: Thursdays

Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $20 for half-hour or $40 for hour; advance appointment required

Online reservations available. WWW.MCREG.COM

Friday Rental times 4:30pm-5:30pm 6:30pm-7:30pm (swim before)

Saturday Rental times 11am-12pm | 1pm-2pm 3pm-4pm (swim before)

Sunday Rental times 10am-11am (swim after) 12pm-1pm (swim before)

Cost: $50 per hour

Daily Admission for swim

Children 2 & Under Free (must have 3 layers (swim diaper, plastic pant, swim suit)

Youth 3-17 years $3

Adults (18-59 years) $5

Senior (60+ years) $4

Great news! Check your insurance because a membership to The Senior Recreation Center and The Park Center might be free. United Healthcare Medicare members with a Renew Active benefit can receive a free annual membership with their Renew Active code. Go to www.partneroptumfitness.com and answer a few questions to see if you are eligible. We are excited for this healthcare partnership and look forward to exploring options with each individual as we try to provide for their fitness needs. We provide exercise opportunities and musclestrengthening activities that can assist with overall health, lower risk of falling, and increased energy.

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Local girl vies for Youth of the Year

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Several years ago, Yoaltici Espericueta had just moved to Utah and her family was facing hard times. Her father was in jail, and her mom always worked to make ends meet. Angry and depressed, the youth searched for a place to fit in when a neighbor suggested she check out the local Boys & Girls Club. Fast forward to today, and now Espericueta is being considered for a national Youth of the Year award.

“Initially, I didn’t want to go, but that changed as I walked into the teen side, which was full of teens all getting along and talking to each other. I felt as if I was back in California surrounded by family reuniting,” Espericueta said.

Now in its 76th year, the Youth of the Year program honors awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures. As the Greater Salt Lake Youth of the Year, Espericueta will serve as an ambassador for all teens in the Greater Salt Lake area and receive a $2,000 college scholarship from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake.

To be considered for the award, youth must show initiative and leadership. The Hillcrest High School student involves herself in a myriad of different projects.

“I have been involved in mock trials at school, as well as the Earth Club, I have taken part in reproductive rights marches, I have personally reached out to representatives in order to voice my agreeing or disagreeing with laws or actions they have taken. I don’t try to base what I believe on a specific area or time; I like to stay up-to-date on the world and what is happening. I really do things because they’re the good I want in the world,” Espericueta said.

Espericueta has been described by her teachers as dedicated—she has ambitions to become a lawyer or politician and is passionate about getting involved in her community. She has been elected twice as president of the Keystone Club, a teen group dedicated to leadership and community service. According to the Boys & Girls Club, “She has been an outstanding leader because of her ability to listen to others’ ideas, contemplate them, and make her decisions with kindness.”

“I am involved in our Keystone Club, having taken on the role of president in this. This club is a pro-

gram focusing on developing leadership and community involvement. I am involved with the community at the Boys & Girls Club. I have made and continue to make friends here, and I like the staff, which are a few reasons to keep coming back. So much as it has become part of my routine,” Espericueta said.

In her speech on the impact of the Boys & Girls Club on her life, Espericueta shared her story. Her father spent time in jail during her childhood, and she felt it set her on a path of anger. She felt isolated and couldn’t find friends who understood her. Finally, her parents confronted her about her anger and behavior; it served as a wake-up call that she needed to find a way to change. When she came to the Boys & Girls Club, she found friends like her. Other Hispanic children, other oldest sisters who felt responsible for their siblings, and other kids who felt like they did not fit in. It allowed her to feel unconditional support. She credits the staff with pushing her to improve academically and personally. Now she is ready to take on college and the battle of making her community a better place for everyone however she can.

This spring, Espericueta will compete against other Utah club winners to vie for the state title. If named the state winner, she will be awarded an additional $2,500 college scholarship and the chance to

compete for the regional title. Six youths, including five regional winners and a military youth winner, will advance to the Regional Youth of the Year event to compete for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Pacific Regional Youth of the Year title. Then the Pacific Regional winner will move on to National Youth of the Year, where the winner will receive an additional scholarship of $50,000.

“It is just an honor to be chosen from all the other candidates. It is a big commitment and to be chosen is an amazing opportunity to use my platform to help other people and share the ideas and the principles I consider to be important,” Espericueta said.

In the meantime, Espericueta hopes to help those starting in the Boys & Girls Clubs to take advantages of all the opportunities that the clubs offer. Furthermore, she seeks to advise the younger members of the clubs.

“Don’t let fear consume you,” Espericueta said. “Being so young, people are so insecure, often stopping them from doing new things in life and the club. I have seen many of my peers lower themselves by giving in to what their friends like or want to do, and they don’t reach their potential of who they are and can be.” l

Yoaltici Espericueta presented with a $2,000 scholarship check for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake. (Photo courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake)

Utah must be nimble to adapt to an evolving landscape

By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank Senior Economist

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,

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

the city hall. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

June open house eyed for new City Hall

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

At the Jan. 10 City Council meeting, Murray City Chief Administrative Officer Doug Hill announced the new City Hall’s scheduled date of completion is March 31.

Currently, crews are installing cabinets and carpets and then adding the finishing

touches to several art projects in the interior and exterior of the building.

The city has ordered furniture and the first city departments will relocate likely in May. An open house for the general public is eyed for June.l

Crews work on the main lobby of

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CottonCrest mountain biking ‘family’ completes successful season

Nineteenstudent-athletes competed at state for the composite CottonCrest mountain biking team, with top places going to Hillcrest’s Josie Paul, who finished second in senior open girls’ race, and Hillcrest’s Alex Fisher, who grabbed fourth place in the freshmen B boys’ contest.

“We had a great season,” coach Anthony Stowe said. “We had more podium finishes this year than we’ve had in a very long time.”

While not every biker who attends Cottonwood High, Hillcrest High, Academy of Math, Engineering and Science (AMES) and Intermountain Christian placed in the top 10 for CottonCrest, Stowe was pleased with his student-athletes’ successes, which came in different forms.

For Hillcrest senior Matt Sebahar, it was about competing.

“Matt has been a part of our team recreationally for years. He decided to race and competed in senior open boys’ race at state, so that’s a great success,” Stowe said.

He also was proud for Hillcrest’s Alice Stephens who he said had a “stellar” season and capped it off with a 65thplace finish at state for freshmen girls.

Hillcrest seniors Kolby Butler and Braxton Little and Intermountain Christian junior Micah Autry all competed at the varsity level.

Hillcrest senior Kenna Stowe, coach Stowe’s daughter, was the lone female rider for the team who raced varsity.

“I’m pretty bummed with how it went because at the very beginning, there’s a really big pile up and I was stuck in the very back underneath everybody. I was the last to get up and get out of the gate,” she said about her overall 78th finish. “One of the girls just slammed on her brakes and caused everybody to just pile up.”

It also was a day with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour, which the coach said were “horrible” and “memorable.”

“The wind picked up right at the start of my race and just continued to get worse,” Kenna Stowe said. “During my second lap, the gusts at the top on the plateau were literally pushing me off of the trail. It was deadly.”

She had placed in the top 15 in every race prior to state.

“I thought my season went pretty well. I reached my goal of racing varsity. My fitness wasn’t exactly where I wanted it to be because I got sick three times over the summer, so I didn’t have that much time to train,” she said, adding that she wanted to meet the challenge of racing varsity, which competes an extra lap on the courses. “It was still really fun and still really difficult.”

Kenna Stowe began mountain biking after her older brother Kaden started into the sport. Their dad started as CottonCrest’s assistant coach and moved into the head role seven years ago as his children competed.

“My dad said, ‘We’re going to try something besides dancing to see if you like it. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it after this year,’” she remembered about her seventh-grade year. “But, at the end of the year, I really liked it, and we bought me a bike.”

The former Hillcrest Dance Company member now has switched gears.

“Biking just took over and takes up so much time, I’m not dancing anymore,” she said.

Throughout her years of biking, she has been coached by her dad.

“What’s been kind of cool to spend more time with him and he also talks with me a lot after my ride and helps me figure out how to get better. But it can be frustrating because he’s hard on me,” Kenna Stowe said. “Sometimes I’m fo-

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

cused and I’m pushing it really hard, and he will just make random comments about the day. So, I’ll be riding up the canyon as hard as I can, and he’ll be like, ‘just look at the nature.’”

Her dad explained that he was “trying to divert her attention because she hyperfocuses on the workout.”

Kenna Stowe then said, “I was looking down at my bike, wishing for it to be over. I like what I get from (the hard workouts), but I just don’t like doing them. I like that I get a lot of power from them and that helps me in my races.”

Stowe said often workouts are designed to help riders in their races, but through it all, he’s appreciated coaching his kids.

“One of the most wonderful things about coaching my daughter is I’ve been able to watch her growth and be so close to it,” he said. “It’s become a family thing for us. We’ve been able to spend a great amount of time together and it’s just been super unifying experience. It’s also created a unique relationship with my daughter and I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to spend this time with her in high school.”

Even though her senior high school season is over, her biking career isn’t.

She plans to continue competing. This May, her family plans to take part in the 12-hour ride, 217-mile loop as a relay team around Mesa Verde National Park. She also plans to ride in the six-hour endurance race in the Hurricane, Utah rim area.

Kenna Stowe isn’t the only one who is parting from the CottonCrest team. Her dad, who placed third in the state coaches race, has stepped aside to let others lead the team.

“We have great people that will be running the team,” he said, adding that there are nine seniors graduating or about one-quarter of the team. “It has been a great experience to watch these students go from freshman to seniors

and be someone that can provide them with a safe place to learn valuable life lessons. My No. 1 rule is no cliques so it’s fun to watch these kids come together through one common sport. Coaching our team is one of the most impactful things I’ve ever done in my life. Watching a new high school kid become an athlete and their parents who have never mountain biked before, are supporting practices and then, they’re racing, and it creates a new communication line for a parent and a child. It’s been everything for me and my family, and it’s just been so impactful to watch.”

The support and camaraderie of the sport became apparent from his son’s first race in Vernal.

“I was so used to every other sport where parents from opposing teams are typically yelling about a foul or ‘your kid did this.’ When my son finished the course, and it was obvious he had crashed as he was covered in dirt, I was walking toward him and this other parent from another team starts talking to him. Initially, I’m thinking, ‘Oh, no, here we go again.’ But that person said, ‘Dude, you had such a cool race. Did you wipe out?’ He was just totally rooting him on, and my son’s face changed. You could see the sun in his eyes. He brightened up and told him the story of his race. From that time on, I wanted to try and infuse this family feeling into the team. I’ve wanted to make sure that it was inclusive for every kid because mountain biking is a great place for anyone to come and learn about themselves. I’ll miss the friendships and closeness of the sport.”

His daughter agrees.

“I’ve had a lot of support in my races, the girls, their parents, the boys; it’s been super awesome,” she said. “I’m friends with a bunch of kids from different schools. They’ll come up and talk to me after my race and ask, ‘How did it go?’ I’ve made a bunch of good friendships.” l

Nineteen CottonCrest mountain bikers competed at state in coach Anthony Stowe’s last season. (Photo courtesy of CottonCrest mountain biking team)

965 E Woodoak Lane Murray, UT 84117 1780 W 700 N, Ste. 30 Lindon, UT 84042 385-235-7262

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Murray High moving to 4A next year

Photos by City Journals staff

Murray High athletics will drop a classification for the upcoming 2023-2025 school years from 5A to 4A. The move will see the Spartans reunite with crosstown rival Cottonwood High School in Region 10 along with former region foe Hillcrest. The region will also feature one other Salt Lake valley team in Jordan High. Rounding out the region are Park City, Stansbury and Tooele. Murray and its three geographic neighbors will be the only Salt Lake valley schools in 4A. Due to enrollment numbers and aiming for competitive balance, UHSAA unanimously approved the new realignment in December, a vote the board makes every two years. The previous two years saw 4A only have essentially 14 teams split between Logan, Cedar City and St. George. Over the

next two years, 4A will now have 28 teams across four regions. Murray’s sports have remained competitive in Region 6 the past few years with boys soccer and softball winning region championships in 2022 while the boys basketball team reached the semis last year and the girls soccer team also making a semifinal run in 2020.

The only sport that will remain in 5A is baseball. Principal Quinn Linde and Athletic Director Brady Smith petitioned the UHSAA at its January meeting to allow baseball to stay in 5A, highlighting its .700 winning percentage and that its participation numbers remain high. Their petition was approved and the baseball team will play in Region 4 with Taylorsville, West Jordan, Kearns, Cyprus, Granger and Hunter. l

Cottonwood girls basketball team uses skill, expertise to outwit opponents

Whengood teams want to impose their will on opponents they will usually trap them in the forecourt, said Cottonwood Athletic Director Greg Southwick.

But when teams decide they’re going to take that next step to be great, added the Cottonwood AD, that’s when you see them make a quantum leap.

“You’re beginning to see teams fall into our traps,” said Southwick of the Colts who went 6-4 in the preseason but purposely scheduled schools like 5A Timpview and 6A Taylorsville to “see where we stood.”

What Cottonwood (10-4) found out was that they belonged. That, when the Colts stopped employing things like half-court and 3/4 and full-court traps and forcing their will upon teams it was when the game slowed down and they trusted their instincts to let opposing teams fall into their traps.

After the Colts were pasted at Timpview 66-18 but nearly knocked off T-Ville, they reeled off four straight wins to wrap up their preseason.

“I think they’re beginning to realize just how good they are,” Southwick said. “And that goes not only for the players, but also the coaches.”

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

To coach Tess Soracco’s credit, she has been consistent in not allowing any media to interview her. Maybe that comes from her feistiness—maybe from the work ethic she’s instilled in her players.

There’s a beauty to sticking to your roots, that comes from allowing your players to find themselves by wearing different colors of hair at games yet being an absolute taskmaster and stickler to the basics of basketball.

If junior Alivia Hutton wants to wear blue hair, so be it—but she’s also the team’s unofficial leader and has been since she was an unknown fighting, literally, for more minutes early last season by diving for loose balls and taking charges. Now that Hutton’s a junior she’s still the first person you’ll meet at mid-court— just like her fiery head coach.

Oftentimes, you’ll see both of them there at the same time, both in a defensive stance with their palms out—both daring you to fall into their trap.

Hutton had a season-high nine points in Cottonwood’s win over Payson Jan. 12. As the Colts rumble across the court most nights, it’s others who get the credit in the box scores— names like senior Ali Tripp and sophomore Avea Van Der Beek and freshman Carley Ca-

ton, even. But on this night, it was Hutton’s, and so there was a poetic justice in that.

In Cottonwood’s showdown against bitter crosstown rivals Hillcrest Jan. 10, the Colts won the game by the football score of 46-6. It wasn’t that long ago that Cottonwood was scoring in single digits over the course of an entire game, but times have changed.

Up 21-0 with 3:38 to play in the first half after Soracco called a time out, the PA announcer knew better than to zoom in on the coach or her players, so he fixed that camera just as hard as he could on the scoreboard.

Once play resumed, and the Colts weren’t as successful luring more Huskies into their secret lair as they had been over the first 16 minutes, the rivals got three points before halftime and Soracco subbed half of her starting lineup to send a message to them.

Meanwhile, at the free throw line, Cottonwood’s crosstown rivals had their hands placed firmly upon their hips—the universal signal for total exhaustion. They already had committed nine fouls; none of it mattered.

What mattered is that the Colts were 4-0 in Region 7 at press time, and they’re doing most of it by going eight-deep on their rosters on average with players you’ve never heard of. l

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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-

bit of a stretch

Peri

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