Murray City Journal | July 2020

July 2020 | Vol. 20 Iss. 07

FREE LOCAL STUDENT-ARTISTS HONORED AS STATE REFLECTION WINNERS —VIRTUALLY

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

A

junior high boy is smitten by a girl and is desperately trying to impress her. Instead, on more than one occasion, he trips and even loses all his notes before an entire class.

“The Crush,” which ends with the girl falling for the boy when he is taking care of his baby sister, is the film that captured the state PTA Reflections title by Hillcrest Jr. High filmmaker and student Leif Larson.

Leif was to be one of several area students to be honored at the state Reflections awards night, but instead, he watched from afar as the ceremony was aired virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme for entries was “Look Within.”

“I was still surprised I won,” Leif said about the Award of Excellence in film. “I got the idea after we were throwing around ideas at dinner. I thought sure, I’d try to do a rom com (romantic comedy) and got some friends to help.”

The Murray teen estimates that he spent 25 hours on the project, beginning last September. He created sketches and a storyboard, learned how to edit from his older brother, and found music, as the entire story was delivered without dialogue—until the parting shot after the credits rolled—when the boy and girl learned they were second cousins.

“I had done Reflections when I was younger and won at region, but this is the first time I had won at state,” the eighth-grader said. “I had a lot of fun doing it and I learned new things while doing it. It’s a way we can express ourselves and still have fun.”

In fact, Leif was a double award-winner as his photo of the night sky at Capitol Reef National Park took the state’s

Hillcrest Junior High eighth-grader Leif Larson shows his top awards from the virtual state PTA Reflections award ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Cheree Larson)

Award of Merit.

Now with summer ahead of him, he already is brainstorming ideas to the theme, “I Matter” for this upcoming year.

“I want to win nationals someday. I think if I put enough work into it, I can do it,” he said.

Leif isn’t the only student set on working on Reflections

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Crescent second-grader Carter Rasmussen in Sandy plans on “making up melodies every day for an hour” while he plays piano this summer.

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Page 2 | July 2020

Murray City Journal

Murray PD reaffirms no chokehold/de-escalation policies

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Murray City Police Department receives biannual training in de-escalation techniques. (Photo courtesy Murray City)

A

s protests swept the nation following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Murray Police Department Chief Craig Burnett reaffirmed the department’s policies banning chokeholds and unnecessary force. Law enforcement policies regarding race (Floyd was Black) and policing have been scrutinized.

A May 30 Salt Lake City protest turned into a riot, and five Murray police officers responded at the request of Salt Lake City, resulting in one patrol car being vandalized.

Murray City was the scene of a peaceful protest on June 1, as dozens of protestors gathered on the State Street bridge spanning I-215.

Burnett addressed the June 16 Murray

City Council meeting to answer questions regarding Murray’s policing. The chief and Mayor Blair Camp issued a joint letter, posted on the city’s website, highlighting various police practices.

“I think it’s always important that people understand where we are, what’s going on, especially with what’s going on in our country today. It’s never too much for us to talk about some of the things that we do and make sure we’re where we should be and looking at the things that we were asked to look at,” Burnett said.

Specifically, Burnett addressed what Murray PD’s position is on the use of restraint, including chokeholds and carotid (two main arteries in the neck) restraints.

“I want you to know we don’t train that.

I’ve been doing this job for 37 years. I’ve never been trained in that. We don’t train it.

Our police officers are expected to know the policies and procedures, and they’re expected to follow them, and when they violate policies and procedures, there are consequences,” Burnett said. “We don’t train it. In fact, our policy specifically states that they should not intentionally use any technique that restricts blood flow to the head, restricts respiration, or creates a reasonable likelihood that blood flow to the head or respiration would be restricted.”

Burnett emphasized that Murray police officers are trained in de-escalation techniques and receive biannual training while on the force. He also clarified the protocol for circumstances where one officer witnesses another officer using unnecessary force.

“If an officer sees something they don’t think is right, they need to do whatever they can do at the moment to try to stop that, and they’re bound by policy to report it,” Burnett said.

Murray PD requires any officer to file a report not only when they use force but when they threaten to use force. A police supervisor must come to the scene and assess what happened and ensure that needed medical treat-

ment is rendered.

“I know our officers are working hard, doing the best they can with the training they have, and our goal is to try to make sure they have the best training,” Burnett said.

Similarly, Murray PD receives training about implicit bias to prevent stereotyping particular qualities to a member of a specific group, such as race or ethnicity.

Camp announced a proposal to sponsor a joint resolution with the City Council affirming Murray City’s commitment to police accountability and racial justice in city policing practices. The mayor also proposed the formation of a public safety advisory board.

Its purpose would be to review existing police and fire department procedures, policies, standards and programs and to make recommendations to the chiefs of police and fire as well as the mayor.

While many cities have weighed in on defunding police in response to the protests, Murray did not consider that type of motion.

City Councilor Diane Turner indicated the council’s willingness to add a social worker to the police staff as a resource.

A letter to residents and businesses about police policies from Burnett and Camp can be found online at www.murray.utah.gov. l

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July 2020 | Page 3

Deondra Brown of The 5 Browns seeks to offer hope to child abuse survivors

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

Deondra Brown of The 5 Browns advocates for child abuse victims’ rights as an ambassador of SHINE. (Photo

by Sean Ryan)

A

s a member of the virtuoso piano-playing siblings, The 5 Browns, Deondra Brown has been kept busy lately with the December 2019 release of their Christmas album and recording a new classical one.

Brown also now focuses her efforts in support of the Children’s Justice Center’s SHINE campaign.

The 5 Browns have had three albums top Billboard Magazine’s Classical Album Chart. They have also advocated for child abuse victims’ rights after they revealed their father and former manager sexually abused some of them.

The Murray resident discussed her latest affiliation with SHINE with the Murray Journal and what she hopes will help victims

Journals

of child abuse.

Q: While you have been vocal about your experiences with child abuse, what attracts you to this initiative?

A: As a survivor of child sexual abuse, I was drawn to the SHINE Campaign’s distinct message of hope and resilience. It celebrates the strength of abuse survivors and helps dispel the stigma that we are broken. If children who are experiencing abuse now see there are others like them out there who understand and believe them, I truly think they will feel more empowered to come forward. I know I would have.

Q: What exactly is SHINE, and what do you hope to achieve by being involved in such an initiative?

A: SHINE is a national campaign to transform the conversation about child abuse.

Survivors need to know they are not alone. If we are reluctant as a community to talk openly about abuse, we reinforce the idea to survivors that they are shameful and forgotten. We have the power as a community to shift the narrative towards one of optimism and hope.

We can send an important message of hope to children who are suffering abuse. It’s not all doom and gloom, and there are people to help.

Q: You have been advocating on behalf of the abused for some time now, what have you learned during your involvement?

A: I never realized the amazing services that are available to children who have been abused. There are 25 Children’s Justice Centers across the state that serve all 29 counties.

They offer important services to help children heal and put their lives back together.

They do the work of angels.

I’ve also been surprised at how far we’ve come as a state in the nine years I’ve been advocating for victims. We still have a way to go, but the tides have been shifting.

Utahns are discussing the topic of abuse, and I’m optimistic about the future. The message of SHINE is an opportunity to take that a step further—to celebrate the strength and determination of survivors and challenge us to stand by them.

Q: What advice would you give to someone being abused or witnessing child abuse to get help?

A: It is up to all of us to be the eyes and ears of our children. As adults, we need to let them know they don’t need to carry the burden alone. In Utah, we are all mandated reporters under the law. If we suspect abuse may be happening, please don’t minimize it in your mind. Call Division of Child and Family Services (1-855-323-3237) and let

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them take it from there.

You don’t want to wonder years down the road if you could have helped a child in despair. And if you are being abused, you are not alone. Find an adult you feel you can confide in and let them share your load.

There is help out there. I can tell you that the abuse can end if you let others help. And even though it may seem impossible now, you can go on to do all the things in your life you’d hope to.

Q: What has changed in your life since you were open about your experiences with child abuse?

A: I now have a sense of freedom that I didn’t have before. I no longer carry around that heavy burden I once did.

Q: Are you going to be involved with other child abuse prevention measures?

A: The SHINE Campaign will continue through the middle of 2021 with more ambassadors and efforts to come. I will continue to be closely involved with helping both in front of and behind the scenes. I will also continue to work on legislation in Utah and nationally to better protect victims under the law. And as long as there are courageous individuals and organizations in Utah moving the needle forward on child abuse prevention, I will be there to support, encourage, and help in any way I can. I’m proud to be from a state where protecting children is a priority.

Q: Finally, what new music projects do you have going?

A: The 5 Browns have another recording project “in the can” that will be released when the timing feels right—our eighth album. We also have a few interesting pieces we will premiere in concert soon. They are a bit of a departure from our usual, but we are excited.

More information about SHINE can be found at www.utahcjc.org/shine.l

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Murray High junior Liberty McBride created “Pocket Change” app, which won the people’s choice award of the 2020 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Jorgensen/FLASH Jorgensen Photography)

Murray High student wins people’s choice award at state entrepreneurship challenge

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

J

unior Liberty McBride plays volleyball and softball at Murray High and will be senior class president in the fall.

Liberty also wants to make money in school, but she said that is hard to do with her afterschool activities. Yet, that hasn’t stopped her from finding a way.

Using skills from her personal finance and business management classes and lessons from her dad, who is self-employed, she created Pocket Change, an app that enables students to investigate educational and career options, acquire professional skills and enter the workforce in their career to gain a little “pocket change.”

“The main purpose is to provide jobs and paid internships so students can work with actual people in the field and decide if the career is something that they’d like to pursue,” Liberty said, adding that this way, high school students may be able to hold a job that has flexible hours around their schedules. “I showed my teacher and she thought it was great.”

Liberty then entered her app in the 2020 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, coordinated by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.

Pocket Change advanced from the 350 entries from more than 40 state high schools to the top 20, then won the people’s choice award with 969 out of 3,757 total online votes.

While the full competition was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the top 20 teams were able to showcase their ideas online and allow the public to vote on their favorite teams.

“I talked to my friends and teachers and they thought it was a great idea. I just talked

MurrayJournal .com

to as many people as I could to share the idea.

On the website, it showed that it had 16,000 views,” she said.

Liberty was awarded $1,000—a little more than “pocket change.”

She’s already decided to invest her winnings into taking her app to make it a reality and hopes to work with app developers to do so.

“I think every high school kid wants to make money for activities and dances and gas, but we also have limited time with high school activities—and we want to do something that will help us in our careers. It also is an avenue for employers who are looking for someone interested in entering their field,” she said.

While she is disappointed that she couldn’t present the idea in front of a panel of judges since the in-person portion of the contest was canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she appreciated the chance to share her idea.

“This is what I want to do, go into business and help people. I want this to grow and provide people with jobs. It’s really exciting to see other people who thought the idea is great,” she said, adding that she’d like to take Murray High’s new entrepreneurship and business marketing classes. “I read the other ideas in the top 20 and there really are some cool ideas.”

Other area students from high schools include Skyline High’s “Optimized Lawn Care,” which received 303 votes; Herriman High’s “TagTeam” with 192 votes; Hillcrest High’s “Pocket Gardens” with 135 votes; AMES’ “The Circle of Life” with 26 votes; AMES “EcoFashion” with 21 votes; and Waterford’s “Epicure” with 14 votes.. l

Continued from front page time entering Reflections. He composed and played a piece he titled, “I Found my Groove.”

“I liked the tune of it and named it because I like playing piano,” Carter said. “I tried playing soccer and all sorts of sports, but I didn’t like it. Then, I started playing on my grandma’s piano and I found I really like it.”

His mother, Taran, said that Carter can hear a song and is able to play it.

He immediately started writing his own music and has been encouraged by his piano teacher.

“He is our musician,” she said.

“We’re athletes and when we put him in sports, he didn’t like it. My mom had a piano and he sat down and played. He has an ear for music. His grandma on the other side plays as well.”

Carter sets up his own practicing.

“I practice an hour every day after I’m ready for school. On Fridays, I go to my piano lessons and on Sundays, I compose my own songs. When I grow up, I want to be an organist for the Tabernacle Choir (at Temple Square). I like the Tabernacle’s giant pipes,” he said.

Like Carter, Golden Fields fifth-grader Koda Brady in South Jordan regularly practices his passion—dance.

Koda was the special artists Award of Excellence winner in dance for the state.

In his performance, “This is Me,”

he dances moves he learned from a special needs dance class at a studio, ones he watched from TikToks and some he originated, said his mother, Jillian.

“He has a really cute heart and he dances all the time—in the hallways, the sidewalk, at recess,” she said.

Koda added that he dances on his trampoline and is working on perfecting a back flip as well.

While Koda’s teacher was encouraging him to enter a photograph he took of kids in a heart, which he did, Koda also wanted to enter in the dance category.

“I can feel it, I just like to keep dancing,” he said. “I can feel the music.”

Koda performed his routine at his house and his sister edited the video submission.

Both Koda’s dance and photo entries won at his school level and at district and advanced to region. At the regional level, his dance entry received the Award of Excellence and advanced to state.

Koda’s medals from the earlier rounds and his state acrylic plaque are on a shelf in their kitchen. His teacher and principal were excited and congratulated him on his success, his mother said.

“I’m proud of myself,” Koda said.

“I like watching the video of me dancing again and again.” l

July 2020 | Page 5

Cottonwood baseball competes in Last Chance tourney during the pandemic

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Senior Carson Atkinson lets loose a pitch against Spanish Fork during the Last Chance Tournament. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

W

hen a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic put a screeching halt to the 2020 high school baseball season, some coaches around the state decided they would get creative.

After making a few phone calls and emails, the Last Chance Tournament was born on very short notice. Cottonwood head coach Jason Crawford, whose team is the defending Class 5A state champions, debated the idea until he was called back and told he would need to make a decision that day. So that day he posed the question to his players in a team group chat.

Seventeen of them said they would play, but there was another problem. Salt Lake County hadn’t fully reopened nor relaxed all of its COVID-19 restrictions. “The players

were limited in what they could do,” Crawford said. “I just told them to start throwing, catching and hitting wherever you can.”

“We didn’t practice until the Tuesday after Memorial Day and our first game was going to be that Thursday,” he added.

After some debate, organizers and sponsors determined this last chance tournament would best be played in Utah County because restrictions were more relaxed there.

That didn’t matter to Crawford, because the last time his team suited up for any action, they were out of state playing nationally ranked teams.

“The day after we got back from Phoenix (for a preseason tournament) in March was when they closed the school,” Crawford

Bridger Stinson will be headed to Colorado Northwestern to continue his baseball career. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

Page 6 | July 2020

said. “So the kids were ready for some competition; they were tired of being at home playing Fortnite.”

For Crawford, playing in the tournament would also give him and Cottonwood’s younger teammates one last chance to say goodbye to seven seniors who gave the school a state championship last year.

First up, a Last Chance Cottonwood opened the tournament losing 13-0 to Maple Mountain on May 28 in a game that didn’t go long into the evening at all.

That’s because the Eagles took only four and one-half innings to dispatch the Colts— Maple Mountain may have had an advantage going into the game because it had been able to practice for several weeks leading up to the tournament.

Cottonwood, on the other hand, was not as fortunate as other teams due to practice restrictions around Salt Lake County and that difference showed in the tournament opener.

The next morning though, the Colts would avenge their tournament opening loss and get their bats humming, winning a barnburner over Mountain View, 5-4.

That victory put the defending state champions in a position to finish in the top two in the Class 5A bracket. In Cottonwood’s next game May 30, it put up a slew of early runs en route to a 14-4 win over Lehi, cementing its place in the championship rounds with a No. 2 seed.

“We were playing pretty good ball going into the double-elimination tournament,” Crawford said. “We started getting into our groove and you could see the kids started getting into it more.”

Championship week Having secured one of the top seeds, Cottonwood avoided a play-in game and got the next few days off to recuperate and practice.

For the Colts, the first game in the championship round would come against No. 3 seeded Spanish Fork. In that 8-2 win they got out early comfortably and galloped to the victory.

“Our team did a really good job situational hitting and put a lot of pressure on (Spanish Fork),” Crawford said. “Our senior Carson Atkinson pitched that game and threw a lot of strikes.”

That win put Cottonwood against No. 1 seed and tournament host Salem Hills. But on this day the Colts weren’t able to hang with the top seed, losing 9-7 in nine innings of play.

“We were up 5-2 and after that it felt like the strike zone disappeared,” Crawford said. “We walked a few batters, which led to a bases-clearing triple, and then another guy walked and they got a double.”

Even with all that going on, Cottonwood was only down 6-5 going into the top of the seventh inning. The Colts tied it up to end the seventh and send it into extra innings.

“We actually took the lead in the eighth, but they tied it,” said Crawford. “And then in the bottom of the ninth they hit a two-run homer to beat us.”

That loss to host Salem Hills sent Cottonwood into a do-or-die game versus Timpanogos, however, there was some confusion as to what the teams should do between games, added Crawford, so they ended up sitting in the dugout for 90 minutes on a 90-degree day.

End of the line for 2020 This Last Chance Tournament would end for Cottonwood about two hours later, as the Colts gave up four early runs en route to an 8-3 loss to Timpanogos.

“We just got off to a bad start, and we got to within 4-3 in the sixth (on three Cottonwood runs) but then we had guys cramping up because they were out of shape,”

Murray City Journal

Jaycob Green at the plate for Cottonwood, who finished 2-1 in pool play. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

Crawford said. “And we had to run out some arms that we didn’t plan on pitching.”

For Crawford, the tournament was well organized, very competitive and had good umpires despite all the strange new rules and guidelines that each team had to follow, such as having players using hand sanitizer between innings and wearing masks in the dugout.

For Cottonwood’s seven seniors, this would be the end of the line for them. But

what a ride it’s been, as they’ve collected two state championship trophies in three years.

Bridger Stinson was Cottonwood’s starting shortstop and leadoff hitter. Danny Mehr was the Colts’ starting catcher and also played left field. Grady Norris was Cottonwood’s first baseman and pitcher. All three will be headed to Colorado Northwestern to continue their baseball careers, according to Crawford.

Jaydon Green, who is a pitcher and infielder for the Colts, has yet to commit to a school, Crawford added. The same can be said for Andy Okamoto, Cottonwood’s third baseman and reliever as well as Atkinson, who played well for Cottonwood on the mound.

While not having the opportunity at a second consecutive state title is bittersweet to Crawford, he said they are taking it in stride.

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They were beginning to find their groove in Phoenix against nationally ranked teams during the preseason, and the same held true at the Last Chance Yournament.

“I was proud of how our kids fought and now they’re all out traveling and playing and having fun (with their summer league team) so in a way, it’s almost like this (pandemic) didn’t happen.” l

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July 2020 | Page 7

What’s your legacy?

Murray, Granite school districts schedule summer sack meals

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Murray students will have several locations to pick up a free summer sack lunch and breakfast. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

M

Serving Local Families Since 1885

urray and Granite school districts recently released the summer meal schedule.

Murray District sack meals will be available through July at seven pick-up locations.

All sites will operate from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., weekdays, with the exception of July 3 and July 24 when no service will be provided. Sack lunches and breakfasts are available for children age 18 and younger.

The free meals will be available at four schools: Horizon Elementary, 5180 S. 700 West; Liberty Elementary, 140 W. 6100 South; Parkside Elementary, 5175 S. Parkside

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In addition, sack meals will be distributed at three apartment complexes: Fireclay Apartments, 162 W. 4490 South; Front Gate Apartments, 4623 S. Urban Way; and Hunters Woods Apartments, 4924 Murray Blvd.

Granite School District also will provide free student meals, weekdays, 11 a.m. to noon, with the exception of July 3 and July 24. Their sack meals will be available through Aug. 7.

The locations can be found at graniteschools.org/nutritionservices/media-and-program-updates. l

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Murray to offer modified performing arts this summer

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

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The band Supergrey performed May 26 at Murray Park. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

H

ow do you put on community concerts and shows during a pandemic, especially when budgets have been slashed? Murray Cultural Arts Manager Lori Edmunds says that shows must go on in spite of these obstacles—but with social distancing.

“Back in April, we decided how to best restructure our summer season, taking into account the COVID-19 regulations given to us from the governor and the health department,” Edmunds said. “Since musicals take several weeks of preparation, we canceled ‘Little Mermaid,’ set for June, and ‘Newsies,’ scheduled to play in July, and also the free concerts in the park: Tuesday Lunch Concerts and Thursday Children’s Matinees. Of course, with the fluidity of the situation, we were constantly trying to save as many programs as we could while conforming to the restrictions we had been given.”

One program that Edmunds does want everyone to stay home for is the Stay at Home art series. Murray residents of all ages are invited to share artwork and pictures that describe their COVID-19 experiences. Writers too will be able to submit stories for the Murray History Collection.

“When the restrictions changed to the yellow phase, we decided to move forward on some events at the amphitheater and free lunch concerts and children’s matinees,” Edmunds said. “For July, we have created a concert series.”

On July 3, the amphitheater will host Jersey Street, a band that plays rock, country and jazz. Indie/alternative rock band Foreign Figures will perform on July 10. The Brazilian music group Samba Rio grooves in on July 17. On Pioneer Day, High Society will take the stage, and on July 31, Beatles tribute band Strawberry Fields will perform. Violin virtuoso Jenny Oaks Baker closes the concert series on August 7. Tickets are $10.

“We have also decided to move forward with our free lunch concerts on Tuesdays at noon and our Children’s Matinee performances at pavilion No. 5 in Murray Park. For the lunch concerts, we will be rearranging the tables in the pavilion to adhere to social

MurrayJournal .com

distancing rules and will move the Children’s Matinees to the gazebo to allow families to sit on the grass or bring their chairs, which will help us social distance as well,” Edmunds said.

Moved online this year, the Murray Storytelling Showcase was judged via video.

First place this year went to Elizabeth Myers.

Murray City Cultural Arts Facebook page posted all award-winning entries online.

Musical theater will still be on track for August at the Murray Amphitheater. “Little Shop of Horrors” runs August 14-22, excluding Sunday. There will be two added performances as the number of tickets will be limited to accommodate a smaller audience to maintain social distancing.

“Again, to adhere to current health department guidelines, we are reducing the size of our audience at the amphitheater and all of the free events and will provide seating that accommodates social distancing. Keeping things clean and sanitized is of utmost importance to our department, and we will (print) ‘Strongly Recommend Masks’ on all advertising. However, we ordered some ‘Murray Cultural Arts’ masks to sell for a small fee if someone forgets their mask,” Edmunds said.

Like most city departments, Murray City Cultural Arts will see an overall reduction in their budget and have been planning how to salvage what is typically an active arts scene.

According to Edmunds, “Unfortunately, all of our programs will see a small decrease in funding, but we are confident that we can still provide quality programming to the community. Some of the cuts will be seen in our arts education component and some in our 2021 summer series.

“It is so important for us as a department to keep the arts alive and available to our community, as this has been an extremely difficult year for everyone. We know that the arts are healing, and we wish to help in that process in any way we are able.”

All Murray City Cultural Arts tickets will be sold online at smashpass.com/murraycityevents or at the box office the night of the performance. l

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July 2020 | Page 9

Murray spurs development despite pandemic/recession

By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com

The blighted Utah Ore Sampling Company mill may see new life as a professional office plaza. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

W

hile the global economy has been hobbled by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying recession, Murray City has decided to move onward with its development projects. While the city will move forward on several longstanding projects, one notable exception, the Murray Theater, has been put on hold.

Renovation of the historic Murray Theater was scheduled to begin this year as the city had arranged for an architect and contractor to start drawing up plans. At the May 19 City Council Meeting, Mayor Blair Camp announced that matching funds for construction had evaporated.

The city received a termination of agree-

Page 10 | July 2020

ment notice from Salt Lake County, who had partnered with the city promising Tourism, Recreation, Culture & Convention (TRCC) funding for the Theater. The TRCC revenue comes from restaurants, car rentals and hotel room taxes. Due to the decrease in revenue projections, the County could not guarantee their obligation and withdrew from the agreement.

“There will be no TRCC process for 2021 because the County does not anticipate enough revenue for new projects. They will keep projects that have been cut off on a list for potential funding in the future,” Camp said. “This is disappointing, but not unexpected. The Murray Theater renovation will be postponed indefinitely.”

Demolition of existing structures near the future home of Murray City Hall commenced in May. One key component of the new downtown layout is extending Hanauer Street southward from 4800 South, where it will intersect with Vine Street.

Poplar Street, which would parallel the new Hanauer Street, will be converted into a parking lot between 4800 South and 5th Avenue to accommodate patrons, not only to city hall, but to the Murray Mansion reception center, also owned by the city. The mansion’s current parking lot will become part of the Hanauer roadway.

At the June 16 Redevelopment Agency of Murray City (RDA) meeting, the RDA board considered a resolution to approve conveyance of property owned by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles (FOE) on 4th Avenue.

The deal with the FOE would convey Murray City property in exchange for vacating an alleyway, designing and constructing a new parking lot, and pay the FOE for additional property needed to extend Hanauer; the FOE parcel has a valuation of $75,693.

According to a memo from Melinda Greenwood, RDA deputy executive director, “Funding for the property acquisition will come from the Salt Lake County Road Funds previously granted to the city for the Hanauer Road extension.”

Receiving a new breath of life will be the redevelopment of the Utah Ore Sampling Company mill. The blighted property on 5510 S. 300 West sampled its last rock 70 years ago, but has since fallen into disrepair with its four-story tower, visible from I-15, a frequent target for graffiti.

Constructed originally in 1909 as the most extensive independent sampler (Evaluating a portion of ore shipment to determine its composition as an average representative composition of the entire bulk of ore) between Missouri and California. Aside from the railroad, the mill remains the most signif-

icant structure of Murray’s historic smelting industry.

A significant impediment to developing the property has been soil contamination from lead, arsenic and radium, and the associated costs of remediation—the B.C. Warner Investment Company hopes to turn the structure into a modern-day office park.

Warner has requested Murray for $2.5 million in Tax Increment Financing to help remediate the site. Notably, Warner would be required to clean the property down to native soils and haul off and dispose of radioactive substances.

If approved for TIF funding, the applicant’s next steps would be to subdivide the property so they can fence off and leave the northernmost area intact and undisturbed.

Doing so reduces contamination remediation costs.

The RDA board heard a discussion regarding Warner’s proposal at the June 16 RDA meeting. The Warner group estimates their office project will be valued at $9,000,000, which would generate approximately $1,974,612 of TIF funding; this leaves the project funding request short by roughly $525,000. l

Murray City Journal

Residents petition against a highway on Wasatch Boulevard

By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com

M

any major plans for the Wasatch Canyons (Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons) and Wasatch Boulevard have recently been published by the Salt Lake County Council and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). As many elements of these plans do not align with the Cottonwood Heights Wasatch Boulevard Master Plan, a group of Cottonwood Heights residents have started a petition.

Salt Lake County On June 9, The Salt Lake County Council approved an updated 202-page Wasatch Canyons General Plan and was adopted on June 16.

The Salt Lake County Regional Planning Staff began drafting this plan in 2017 with input from local governmental entities, canyon visitors and property owners. In addition, the planning staff drew data from online surveys, three public hearings, interviews, work sessions, nine community events and 10 open houses.

The updated general plan will replace the 1989 Wasatch Canyons Master Plan for Parleys, Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood, associated unincorporated foothills, and Little Cottonwood.

“The preservation of this precious resource is a top priority,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. “I am excited to implement the vision and strategies in this plan to protect the solitude, wildlife, scenery, water quality, and best snow on earth, that our canyons provide.”

Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) On June 8, UDOT released their Draft Transportation Alternatives plan for the Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Planning and drafting these alternatives began in 2018.

Three main transportation alternatives have been identified and drafted in proposed documents. The three focused alternatives are: Enhanced Bus Service, Enhanced Bus Service with Peak Period Shoulder Lanes (PPSL), and Gondola.

In addition, UDOT has published a 438page Draft Alternatives Development and Screen Report outlining their process and the many different alternatives that were considered.

A 35-day public comment period on the drafted alternatives began on June 8 and will continue until July 10. Residents can submit comments through their website, through email, or by mail.

By next spring (2021), UDOT anticipates having a fully completed draft EIS. At that time, they will have a public hearing with a 45-day public comment period. Before 2021 ends, UDOT hopes to have a final draft ready for action in the Federal Register.

Cottonwood Heights Both the Salt Lake County and UDOT plans include making changes to Wasatch

MurrayJournal .com

Boulevard, some of which do not align with Save Not Pave.

UDOT has proposed a possible future for Wasatch Boulevard to be five lanes of traffic. (Utah Department of Transportation/EIS)

the 169-page Cottonwood Heights Wasatch Boulevard Master Plan that was published in July 2019.

For years, Cottonwood Heights residents have been fighting to make Wasatch Boulevard less of a highway and more of a residential street. Residents have been mainly concerned about increased traffic and congestion on Wasatch Boulevard and in their surrounding neighborhoods. Some of the main suggestion improvements from residents has been to not expand the boulevard and to reduce the speed limit (from 50 mph to 30 mph).

As one of the proposed alternatives drafted by UDOT includes widening Wasatch Boulevard to five lanes, residents of Cottonwood Heights have started a petition called

Many residents are becoming concerned with how UDOT’s plans might affect their neighborhoods, as UDOT includes mention of “high residential impact” in some of their drafted alternatives.

In addition, their plans might include demolishing some homes, as the gondola alternative states “UDOT assumes that owners of residences directly under the gondola’s airspace would need to be relocated.”

The organizers behind Save Not Pave are “Cottonwood Heights citizens called to action to preserve the residential character and natural environment. We gladly share access through our gateway to Utah’s amazing Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons with visitors and regional commuters but it must be safe,

sustainable, and not heighten pollution levels,” as described on their website.

Resources To view Salt Lake County’s Wasatch Canyons General Plan, visit: www.slco.org/ and search for Wasatch Canyons General Plan Update in the search box.

To view UDOT’s EIS visit: www.littlecottonwoodeis.udot.utah.gov. (Use this website to submit public comments as well.)

To view Cottonwood Heights Wasatch Boulevard Master Plan, visit: www.cottonwoodheights.utah.gov/ (hover over the “City Services” tab, then click on “Adopted and Special Plans”).

To visit the resident petition, visit: www. savenotpave.org/. l

Wasatch Boulevard will be widened if any one of UDOT’s potential plans is adopted. (Utah Department of Transportation/EIS)

July 2020 | Page 11

Cottonwood’s Tuckness receives award, makes music fun

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Cottonwood High instrumental director Amber Tuckness smiles with her music students after receiving the UHSAA Distinguished Service Award Music Educator of the Year award. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood High)

A

t the recent Utah High School Activities Association awards ceremony, 17 people were honored for their commitment to coaching or contributing to the success of students from debate to sports, including Cottonwood High music teacher Amber Tuckness.

“She is an amazing educator that has dedicated her life to filling the world with music,” said UHSAA executive committee member Tom Sherwood, who presented Tuckness with the award. “What a great leg-

acy.”

Tuckness received a wooden plaque as the Distinguished Service Award Music Educator of the Year and applause not only from her peers at the luncheon (before the pandemic), but also from her students.

“It was during our musical rehearsal and the principal stopped rehearsal saying there was an emergency; there was something happening,” Tuckness said. “Then, she told us

right there that I was selected for the honor.

It’s nice to be recognized, especially as music doesn’t always get the attention that sports do.”

Principal Terri Roylance, who nominated Tuckness for the award, also recommended her for the Murray City teacher of the year.

In 2014, Tuckness was honored as one of the district’s teachers of excellence.

“It motivates me to keep improving, to teach and do the right thing for students. But it’s not just my recognition; it’s the students, and I receive it because of them and what they’re doing,” she said.

For 23 years, Tuckness has taught about 300 students each year. This year, her class load is nine classes: jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, concert band, orchestra, AP theory and harmony, beginning composition, guitar, piano and credit recovery.

“Those kids in credit recovery are really grateful to get the last-minute help so they can graduate. It’s been fun getting to know those kids and seeing how I’m able to help them,” she said about the recent addition to her teaching load.

She also directs Granite Youth Symphony one day per week after teaching her full load.

Every year, she prepares student mu-

sicians for their region and state group and solo/ensemble contests. She also has taken them on tours and festivals in California and Washington, adding some fun opportunities with each trip.

In the orchestra pit during musical rehearsals, there are theme days, such as this past year’s “Miss Honey” day where everyone wore yellow and had honey-related snacks. It’s also a tradition to make quesadillas during practices.

However, Tuckness said her favorite activity with her music students during the school year is the Halloween concert.

“We pick music and a theme. Then, I wear a different costume for every song. I’ve flown in as Superman, rappelled on stage as Spiderman, came as Doc Brown in ‘Back to the Future.’ I was 10-feet tall as Hagrid from the ‘Harry Potter’ series and last year, I rode a camel on stage as Aladdin and directed their last piece from the camel. Usually the students don’t know what I’ll be doing, and the audience comes to hear the students play and see what I’ll come out as,” Tuckness said.

“The Halloween concert is the best attended and favorite tradition, and it brings a fun note to learning.” l

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Page 12 | July 2020

Murray City Journal

Olympic climber maintains focus despite postponement of games

By Ryanne Riet | r.riet@mycityjournals.com

Your local Grifols Donors Center is NOW accepting plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Grifols has made CC OO VV I DI D - 1its UCU P VOD IV D AI-T 1E 9- S -91C9O P D A D T 1EU 9S PUD COVID-1C 9 OUVPID DA - 1T9E SU P D expertise in plasma available to the U.S. FDA, BARDAC Oand V I D - 1 9 U P D AT E S NIH/NIAID to develop clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of a potential treatment. At Grifols, we believe this HOW HOW CONVALESCENT CONVALESCENT PLASMA PLASMA HOW HOW CONVALESCENT CONVALESCENT PLASMA PLASMA HOW HOW CONVALESCENT CONVALESCENT PLASMA PLASMA HOW CONVALESCENT PLASMA current and extraordinary situation require companies to HELPS TREAT TREAT COVID-19 COVID-19 HELPS HELPS TREAT TREAT COVID-19 COVID-19 striveHELPS more than ever to serve patients and communities.

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Please visit www.grifolsplasma.com to find a Donation Center nearest you.

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Murray High alum Nathaniel Coleman was the first U.S. male to qualify for the Olympics in competitive climbing. (Photo courtesy Nathaniel Coleman)

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T

he 2020 Tokyo Olympics was supposed to have been the year that competitive climbing was added to the list of Olympic events.

Murray High alum Nathaniel Coleman was the first male in U.S. history to qualify for the Olympics in climbing.

“My proudest moment was during the lead climbing portion of the Toulouse Qualifying Event,” Coleman said, “that is where I earned my Olympic invitation.”

Nathaniel had three potential events that he could have participated in to receive his invitation to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The first was the World Championships in Hachioji, Japan. Though he came very close, he was unable to qualify for the Olympics in that event.

The second was held in November of 2019 in the Toulouse, France Olympic qualifier event.

There he needed to place eighth or better to qualify, Nathaniel placed exactly eighth and was proud and humbled to accept his Olympic invitation.

The third and final qualifying Olympic event took place in February 2020 at the Pan-American championship in Los Angeles, where the second U.S. male competitive climber qualified to join the list of athletes to compete in the next summer Olympics.

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponed until 2021, that leaves many Olympic athletes anxious and a bit disheartened.

“I think my biggest challenge will be to maintain focus on this goal for another year without letting it stress me out too much,” Coleman said. “Competitive climbing is very high intensity, while outdoor climbing can act as a mental reset.”

Nathaniel plans to stay sharp and ready

MurrayJournal .com

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July 2020 | Page 13

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Students cheer first-grade educator who retires after teaching in the same classroom 28 years

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

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Page 14 | July 2020

athy Reynolds was hired and told by then McMillan Principal Beck Sheffield she would be a first-grade teacher. On Aug. 17, 1992, Reynolds walked into the first grade room at McMillan Elementary, thinking she’d switch to third grade after a year and prove him wrong.

Twenty-eight years later as she took down photographs from that same first-grade classroom, she admits he was right.

“I never had the desire to move and never thought about it since,” she said. “There’s something magical about first grade.”

Reynolds, who is retiring, also had no thoughts about changing schools or school districts.

“I’ve been so lucky. I never had a bad class. Kids who were known to be hard to handle, came in and got to work. They lived up to the classroom slogan, ‘be the best you can be,’” she said.

Former Jordan School District Principal Kirk Denison said a career in the same school is rare.

“That’s incredible to be in the same building all the years of a teaching career; it’s just amazing,” he said.

Reynolds’ education career brought in her love of theater, her 17 years as a children’s and young adult librarian at Murray Public Library, and her passion of running.

“I always said, ‘if everyone loves to read and run, I’ll be a success,’” she said.

Reynolds began the school’s Fit Fun Run 25 years ago. Traditionally, students write a goal to run 1, 2 or 3 miles and train for the run and most years, Reynolds, herself an accomplished runner who has run more than 50 marathons, would keep pace right alongside her students.

This year, with the “soft closure” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the run looked a little different—but it was still held.

“We challenged the students to run 10,000 miles in two weeks and they just took off, joined by parents, cats, dogs, and grandparents. I think it was something the whole family could do, to divert their attention from what was going on and have a goal they could achieve,” she said.

Another long-standing tradition at McMillan that Reynolds has been a part of is the first-grade performance of “The Nutcracker.”

Former first-grade teacher Joyce Standley had found the children’s version in a 1976 Women’s Day magazine and approached Reynolds to produce the play.

Reynolds recalled her first reaction.

“My first thoughts were ‘oh my, look at this bedraggled magazine that she kept all these years. But we did it that year. We stuck our necks out and used the magazine’s idea

of cardboard boxes as trees and thrones and thought, ‘there’s magic in this program,’” she said, adding that that first year, 1992, the entire student body gave the first-graders a standing ovation.

She thought ‘that was great and our turn for the annual holiday program was done for the next six years.’ However, that didn’t happen and instead, the 28-year “Nutcracker” performances continued, thanks to the dedication of students, teachers and volunteers who have worked alongside Reynolds. “‘The Nutcracker’ is the biggest thing our school does and it’s always a memory for these students. I’ve run into the kids 20 years later and they say, ‘I was a Russian’ or ‘I was a soldier.’ They remember. This has been the most incredible thing,” Reynolds said.

That is aside from learning to read in her classroom. While she has been known to retell her stories of Briar Rabbit from her library days, she never had a set reader to introduce students to reading.

“I never taught the same. I looked at the climate of the class and taught to the kids’ ability and built upon that. They had expectations and I had them reach those and go beyond,” she said.

When she started teaching, Sheffield told her she may not be able to reach all her students, Reynolds recalled.

“He said, ‘sometimes, there will be kids you cannot teach, but you can still love them,’” she said. “That wasn’t true for me.

I didn’t have one kid who I wasn’t able to reach and who didn’t learn. And I loved them all. I just love teaching and thought I’d teach until I died.”

Even though Reynolds had a stroke in fall 2017 and her doctor said she wouldn’t return to the classroom, she proved him wrong and was back teaching in February 2018.

Her retired husband would volunteer and her daughter, Angie Thompson, co-taught beside her.

“My own mom taught for 45 years and bawled every day after she retired. I’m pretty close to doing that. I taught about 700 kids and had every one of their pictures in the classroom. I cried with everything coming down. It was kind of like a museum of the past 28 years and this ‘soft closure’ was a sad way to end,” Reynolds said.

However, at the retirement parade for Reynolds and her colleagues, her students showed her just what else they learned—a positive outlook on life.

“I would always say ‘Hip, Hip, Hooray’ three times to them when they learned or accomplished something,” Reynolds said.

“This time, they gave me the ‘Hip, Hip, Hooray.’” l

Murray City Journal

July 2020 FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS

Mayor’s Message

Grant Elementary . . . . . . 801-264-7416

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Heritage Center (Senior Programming) . . 801-264-2635 Hillcrest Jr. High . . . . . . . 801-264-7442 Horizon Elementary . . . . 801-264-7420 Liberty Elementary . . . . . 801-264-7424 Longview Elementary. . . 801-264-7428 Ken Price Ball Park . . . . . 801-262-8282 Miss Murray Pageant (Leesa Lloyd) . . . . . . . . . . 801-446-9233 McMillan Elementary . . 801-264-7430 Murray Area Chamber of Commerce.. . . . . . . . . . 801-263-2632 Murray Arts Advisory Board (Lori Edmunds) . . . . . . . . 801-264-2614 Murray Boys & Girls Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-268-1335 Murray City Cemetery . . . 801-264-2637 Murray Community Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-264-7414 Murray High School . . . . 801-264-7460 Murray Museum . . . . . . . 801-264-2589 Murray Parks and Recreation Office . . . . . . . 801-264-2614 Murray Parkway Golf Course . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-262-4653 Murray Park Aquatics Pool . . . . . . . . . .801 290-4190 Mick Riley Golf Course (SL County) . . . . . . . . . . . 801-266-8185 Parkside Elementary . . . . 801-264-7434 Riverview Jr. High . . . . . . 801-264-7446 Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation . . . . . . . . 801-468-2560 Salt Lake County Ice Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801-270-7280 The Park Center . . . . . . . . 801-284-4200 Viewmont Elementary . . 801-264-7438

When I was a young boy, I remember being very excited for my upcoming birthday, anticipating a party with my friends and family, including food and games and fun. Little did I know that I would break out with a case of the chicken pox shortly before my birthday, which resulted in the cancellation of my birthday party plans. I remember being bitterly disappointed at the change of plans but being reassured that it was for the best, and that there would be future celebrations ahead.

This year as we celebrate the 244th birthday of our great nation, the unexpected outbreak of the coronavirus has caused us to cancel the regular birthday party plans that we have become accustomed to. We’ll miss the 5k run, the sunrise service, and the pancake breakfast. We’ll miss the parade, the activities in Murray Park, and the evening concert.

We will miss the amazing fireworks display that has been a tradition for many years. The decision to suspend the Fun Days activities was a difficult one that was not taken lightly, but I feel reassured that it was for the best.

While the public festivities have been cancelled for this Independence Day, let’s not forget the reason that we have these celebrations each year, and let’s celebrate the birth of our great nation in ways other than the recent traditions that have become customary, in smaller groups and doing family activities.

Celebration of Independence Day is a commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, when the United Colonies dissolved political connections with, and allegiance to, the British Crown. The United States of America was born! Among many other things, the

MAYOR’S OFFICE

D. Blair Camp Mayor

signers of the Declaration of Inmayor@murray.utah.gov dependence declared that “all 801-264-2600 men are created equal, that they 5025 S. State Street are endowed by their Creator Murray, Utah 84107 with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As we celebrate our nations birthday, I express my profound appreciation for those founding fathers of our nation, to those who fought and died for the rights that we enjoy, and for those who have served to defend this country since then. We owe a debt of gratitude that we can never repay. May we never take those rights for granted!

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to sit at Fort McHenry, Maryland, at the place where Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the British attack on the fort in 1814. As I listened to our national anthem playing, I watched the flag flying in the distance near the harbor.

I got a lump in my throat as I reflected on the battle that had taken place there. I get that lump in my throat each time I hear the national anthem.

Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States once said, “My country owes me nothing. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor.”

While we may celebrate America’s birthday a little differently this year, let’s remember what the celebration is all about.

We are cautiously optimistic and hopeful that we will be back with our traditional Murray Fun Days celebration in 2021.

Happy Birthday America!

Murray Senior Recreation Center Although the Murray Senior Recreation Center remains closed for the protection of its vulnerable participants, we are looking at and implementing ways to serve the 55+ population in a fun and safe manner.

We have been and will continue to offer lunches for pickup Monday through Friday from 11:30 to 12:30 to those who give us 24 hours advanced notice. Cost is $4 per lunch and a lunch order can be made and paid for by calling 801-264-2635. Credit cards will be taken over the phone. Lunches consist of ham, turkey or roast beef sandwiches, white or wheat bread, or wraps, burgers or bratwursts.

Car Bingo (see attached flyer) will take place every Wednesday in the West parking lot of the Center from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

You must call to register in advance and play will be limited to the first 20 cars. Volunteers will escort you to a parking spot (social distancing) and give you 4 different Bingo cards per person (maximum of 2 people per car). Bring your own marker and mask, honk your horn once if you need the number repeated

and twice if you have Bingo! Prizes including gift certificates and Village Inn pies will be given to the winners of each game. Remember to stay in your car, wear your mask and don’t idle your car while playing (it’s against City ordinance).

The popular golf season is underway. The cost to join is $10 and there is a green fee and prize fee for each tournament you wish to play in. Modifications to each tournament will be made, ie. no shotgun starts, one person to a cart, etc. Because of these restrictions, we are limited in the number of golfers we can register for each tournament. Upcoming tournaments include July 13 – Talon’s Cove (Scramble Format), July 27 – River Oaks, August 10 – Old Mill, August 17 – Eaglewood (Scramble Format) and August 24 – Bountiful Ridge (Scramble Format). For more information and a complete schedule, call 801-264-2635.

We have made a decision to cancel this year’s trip to Tuachan and will try and reschedule for next year. We apologize for any inconvenience

Youth Tennis Lessons

Pickleball Summer Outdoor League (Mixed Doubles)

Dates: July 13-17, July 20-23, (will make up one day due to July 24) July 27-31, Aug. 3-7, Aug. 10-14.

Dates:

Place: Southwood Park (6150 S. 725 East)

Place: Murray Parks and Recreation Outdoor Pickleball Courts - 166 E. Myrtle St.

Ages: 8-18 Cost: $40 Residents, $50 Non-residents Time: 8:15 –9:15 am Beginners, 9:30-10:30 am Advanced Beginners/Intermediate Instructor: Andrea Perschon Register: Murray Parks and Recreation Office, The Park Center or online at www.mcreg.com

Thursday nights

Time:

6-10 pm

Format:

Regular scoring

Levels:

3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

Fall Soccer

Free

Free

(Must pre register starting July 5 www.mcreg.com) Aug. 14 Aladdin Ken Price Park 9:00 pm

Night:

Register: Online at www.mcreg.com, Murray Parks and Recreation Office, 296 E. Murray Park Avenue or The Park Center, 202 E. Murray Park Avenue.

Free

(Must pre register starting July 5 www.mcreg.com) Aug. 7 The Rookie Ken Price Park 9:00 pm

$75 per division

Deadline: Wednesday, July 22, 2020

(Must pre register starting July 5 www.mcreg.com) July 31 Finding Dori Outdoor Pool 9:00 pm

Cost:

Play Double header each night

Movies in the Park July 10 Lion King Ken Price Park 9:00 pm

August 6-Sept. 24

Free

(Must pre register starting July 5 www.mcreg.com) These movies require preregistration in order to Follow the Governor’s Health plan. Limited capacity.

Fall Chill Pickle Ball Tournament Dates: September 11 & 12

Place: Murray Parks and Recreation Outdoor Pickleball Courts 166 E. Myrtal St. Cost: $30 per division Format: Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles-Pool play using Rally Score to 21, win by 2, cap at 23 Pool Play & Single Elimination Tournament

Dates:

August 6-September 19

Cost:

$50 Murray Residents $60 Non Murray Residents

Deadline: Monday, July 20, @ 8:00 am. $5 Late Fee after the Deadline Register: Murray Parks and Recreation, The Park Center and Online at www.mcreg.com Divisions: Pre K (min 3 years old), Coed Kindergarten, Girls 1-2 Grades, Boys 1-2 Grades, Girls 3-4 Grades, Boys 3-4 Grades, Coed 5-6 Grades, Coed 7-12 grades.

Format:

Play 12 games, jersey, shorts and socks

May register as a team (If requesting more than four friends, you must provide a coach.

Levels: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 Schedule: Mixed Doubles-Friday, Sept. 11 Men’s & Women’s Doubles –Sat., Sept. 12 Deadline: Friday, Sept. 4, 2020

Hot August Nights Pickleball Tournament Dates: August 7 & 8

Place: Murray Parks and Recreation Outdoor Pickleball Courts - 166 E. Myrtal Street Cost: $30 per division

Register: Online at www.mcreg.com, Murray Parks and Recreation Office, on The Park Center

Pickleball Summer Outdoor League (Mens & Womens Doubles) Dates: August 5-Sept. 30 Place:

Murray Parks and Recreation Outdoor Pickleball Courts

Format: Mixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles Pool play using Rally Score to 21, win by 2, cap at 23 If multiple pools, top 2 teams advance to single elimination tour.

Cost:

$75 per division

Night:

Wednesday nights

Levels: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

Time:

6-10 pm

Schedule: Mixed Doubles Friday Night

Format:

August 8 - Men’s Doubles Saturday Morning.

Levels:

Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2020

Deadline: Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Register: Online at www.mcreg.com, Murray Parks and Recreation Office, or the Park Center. For more information, call (801) 264-2614!

Register: Online at www.mcreg.com, Murray Parks and Recreation Office, 296 E. Murray Park Ave. or The Park Center, 202 E. Murray Park Ave.

166 E. Myrtle St.

August 7 - Women’s Doubles Saturday Morning

Murray City Recreation Cross Country 2020 Dates:

Sept 1-October 9th

Days:

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at Murray Park

Regular scoring

Time:

5:30-6:30pm.

Play Double header each night

Ages:

Youth 6-18.

3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0

Cost:

$35 Residents / $45 Non Residents

Includes shirt, 16 practices and meets. 2nd Annual Hay Day 2k October 6th for participants and their family and friends.

Coach:

Walter Watchman

JULY 2020

C ULTURAL A RTS

@MurrayCityCulturalArts @Murraycitymuseum

2020 Arts in the Park Season

For updates and full schedule, please visit the Cultural Art Homepage at www.murray. utah.gov or follow on Facebook @murraycityculturalarts.

Season passes will not be available this summer.

Individual tickets will be made available online at RegTixs (https://smashpass.com/ murraycityevents) at the Door.

(Please PRINT OUT tickets and bring to the Gate) Limited seating available at the Murray Park Amphitheater.

Please note that concerts are subject to change.

COMFORT SOLUTIONS HVAC NEWSLETTER - ASK THE PROS!

Summer is around the corner and many homeowners ask “Should I Replace or Repair my central air conditioner?”

Requirements for doing business have changed, marketing services aim to help local busines

By Drew Crawford | d.crawford@mycityjournals.com

A

change in consumer behavior as a result of COVID-19 has caused many businesses to change their strategies on how they attract and retain their customers.

The Pro’s at Comfort solutions can help. Are SHOULD I REPAIR MY AC? Here are some To address these concerns, marketing you deciding whether to replace or repair your general guidelines when considering central companies operating in the valley have been air conditioner? There are a few important air repairs. If your current equipment is less promoting their services to impacted business factors that can help you decide the best choice than 12-15 years old and has been properly in an attempt to help them maintain and attract for your home and family. As we spend more maintained/serviced. Yes likely a repair will be a customer base. time in our homes during these uncertain a low cost solution. A very important factor to times your families comfort and safety should keeping good equipment in working order is “We decided that small businesses need be considered first. Next consider efficiency, annual service. In addition changing your filer [results] as well, and we wanted to develop an cost and equipment life expectancy. Finally, every 3 months is highly recommended. Air affordable solution to do that,” said Meghan what works best for your budget? flowing properly thru your furnace/AC and Trapp of Hurrdat, a marketing group that has an ductwork is essential to helping your equipment office in Holladay.

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Gibby feels that COVID-19 offers a unique time for companies to reflect on what they do well and to think about what they offer their customers.

“Most of the time, particularly with smallto medium-sized business, marketing is not viewed as strategically at all. It’s looked at as I’ve got this widget to sell so let’s just put up a website, let’s get a brochure out there, and let’s sell our stuff,” Gibby said. “There’s not really thought given to how to sell it, what the messaging should be, and how you’re going to effectively be thinking of your target audience.”

Gibby said that the greatest difference that COVID-19 has made for business is that it has changed consumer’s lifestyles as they shop from home a lot more and are cautious about going out.

“What we’ve tried to do is view this as an opportunity to make a difference in our community, because a lot of these businesses who are shut down have a unique time where they can sit back and really evaluate what they’re doing and we can help them do it better and strategically,” Gibby said. “I think we all have an obligation to be of assistance where we can to help people come out of this.”

Gibby says that businesses wondering what they should be doing to recover from a marketing standpoint should be thinking in a couple different tiers.

“One is to say, ‘Hey, we’re open, come back,’ and ‘Here’s what we’re doing to keep you safe,’” Gibby said.

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Gibby has also come up with other marketing strategies to address the pandemic that include developing thought leadership and forming community partnerships.

“Being open for business doesn’t compel a consumer to do business. Businesses need to provide real value to their audience to get them to come back, which you can accomplish by communicating real and meaningful value and communicating your efforts to be a part of the solution,” Gibby said. l

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Page 18 | July 2020

Murray City Journal

Relief available to Salt Lake County small businesses

By Erin Dixon | e.dixon@mycityjournals.com

S

alt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson announced in June there would be more money available from the federal government for COVID-19 business impacts.

“It’s been a rough, rough several months.

We knew that our economy tanked,” Wilson said.

After all “non-essential” businesses were shuttered in Utah, and many other states in March of this year, the federal government scrambled to send aid to businesses across the county. Not all business have qualified for loans or grants.

Businesses that have not yet qualified for federal grant money will have a chance to apply for money from the SBIG, Small Business Impact Grant.

At first, the county focused on addressing the immediate health needs of the residents.

Now that many issues have been resolved, the county is able to reach out to help businesses.

“The county has set aside $40 million (from the federal government) for businesses specifically impacted by closures. That means restaurants, hair salons, tattoo parlors, businesses that were not eligible to receive the Paycheck Protection Program funds or other

grants,” Wilson said.

“The ceiling for the most a business can have is $35,000. We expect these funds to be given to more than 1,300 businesses in our community.”

Teresa Lechtenberg, co-owner of Personal Mastery, a taekwondo and kickboxing facility in Sandy, was not eligible for SBIG because her business had already received funds from the PPP. “We fit the qualifications for the SBIG other than we have already received funds,” Lechtenberg said.

The $20,000 PPP was given to help with the immediate need of keeping employees on, so they wouldn’t lose their jobs.

“I’m not sure yet if it will save the business. It certainly helped for the last few months,” Lechtenberg said.

How long will that money last them, if that is all the money they will get to help the business through the crisis?

“I think because of our modified schedule, three months. I think we will feel the effects on the economy for a very long time.

We made 50% this March of what we made in 2019,” Lechtenberg said. l

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Salt Lake County SBIG: County Mayor Jenny Wilson announces additional federals funds that are available as of June 16, 2020 for businesses affected by the health-mandated closures. (image/Erin Dixon)

MurrayJournal .com

S

D L O

July 2020 | Page 19

Long-term educators appreciate farewells—even at a distance

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

After 29 years as an educator, Shauna Maughan was sad the school year ended abruptly in her classroom without carrying on her year-end traditions one last time before retirement. (Teresa Bigelow/McMillan Elementary)

I

nstead of worrying about her own retirement in the last days of the school year, 29-year educator Shauna Maughan was coming up with a virtual fieldtrip to replace the one she had planned to the Natural History Museum of Utah and Red Butte Garden since the response to COVID-19 closed schools and many places around the Salt Lake Valley.

Even though Maughan was coming up with other activities, she was still sad that her first-and second-grade gifted and talented class at McMillan Elementary didn’t get to

McMillan Principal Joy Sanford hadn’t yet announced to her student and families that she would be retiring when COVID-19 hit and she realized she wasn’t “going to get that last hug I had hoped for.” (Teresa Bigelow/McMillan Elementary)

participate in making cardboard cars for the youngsters’ traditional movie drive-in held annually in the school multipurpose room.

“Some have been creative and instead of making cars, they created a bus, a jeep, even a spaceship,” Maughan said. “It was sad that it just had to end abruptly like this. I had some fun things planned and didn’t get to say goodbye like I usually do.”

Maughan and others at her school who retired had a reverse parade, where families drove by the retirees at the school. She re-

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Page 20 | July 2020

ceived some sweet notes and small gifts and got elbow bumps instead of hugs.

“I missed the hugs, but it was an end of year with a different look,” she said. “I had said, ‘I’m going out with a bang, but instead it kind of fizzled.”

Many educators had similar exits—a virtual classroom goodbye, a parade, notes dropped at the school, or a sign or a banner.

“I love what I do and having the interaction with children, but this (end of the school year) wasn’t the same. I wouldn’t want to do it again. I can’t imagine not being here with the kids (in the fall if the pandemic continues),” Maughan said.

Education has changed with the times.

There are fewer teddy bear picnics or dinosaur days and instead of relying on teacher experience in the classroom, teaching comes from analyzing student data that’s gathered to better focus on improving students’ academic success, she said.

Her principal, Joy Sanford, also is retiring after 25 years in both Murray and Canyons school districts and was sad that she, too, wasn’t “going to get that last hug I had hoped for.” In fact, Sanford had yet to reach out to students and their families to tell them she was retiring when the school went into “soft closure” that extended through the end of the school year.

Sanford backs Maughan’s assessment on education. When Sanford was an instructional coach, she would research the best practices of instruction and share those with teachers. Now, she’s hoping she will be able to do that as a mentor for principals after retirement.

Sanford also said that there’s more of a social-emotional look at education as “life looks very different than what it did.” While she acknowledges technology brought a lot of changes, she said that it changed the culture of knowledge to students and along with it, “a whole different way to communicate and socialize.”

The social-emotion part of education

is something Oakdale Principal Lori Jones pointed out in Canyons District. With years teaching and serving as a counselor, Jones recognizes the power of emphasing positive behavior as a preventative measure.

“When students are focused on being kind, they do things that make a difference in the world,” she said. “It helps the world and it helps them. When they’re mean and bullying, it causes social-emotional problems.”

Students also tend to be greeted by teachers with a time to share and outline the goals for the day.

“Students know what is expected and they’re being recognized and awarded for meeting expectations. They feel good about school and it’s a happy and safe place,” Jones said.

And there’s a change in technology— from film strips to flip grids, from overheads to digital storyboards. Coding is replacing cursive in many classrooms as is a teacher lecture.

“Kids are more engaged in their own learning and doing more partner sharing.

Teachers are now the guide and navigating student learning and knowledge,” Jones said.

After 36 years in education, Jones said it’s time to tackle her reading list, look at a memory book that was given to her, and eventually travel once it’s safe to do so.

“It hasn’t been a bad retirement, just a different retirement,” she said.

Jones joined other Canyons principals Christie Webb and Sandra Dahl-Houlihan in saying goodbye to students at a reverse parade at Sandy Elementary, where Webb served her final year.

Webb, who like Jones isn’t one for the spotlight, said she will miss her community of kids and teachers, but has a list of things she’d like to do—starting with sleeping in.

Dahl-Houlihan was principal at Sandy Elementary for several years, but her final year of her 30-year education career was at Bella Vista in Cottonwood Heights. She has several retirement goals: mastering baking with yeast by making cinnamon rolls, reading romance books on her porch and interacting with locals while traveling.

“We didn’t end the year in the usual way,” she said. “Bella Vista always has an egg drop, but this year, we challenged families to do the event. We usually have a field day and the PTA gave directions how to do it together. We usually have an end-of-theyear slide show and a fifth-grade clap-out, and those were done virtually. But I was able to see and thank so many families who came to the parade and tell my faculty 6 feet apart how much I appreciate them, so there was some closure, just not hugs. I’m going to miss the kids, their funny stories, their quirky ways, their jokes and laughter. Kids are the best part of education. It’s where the magic is.” l

Murray City Journal

Even with online school, teachers appreciate students with awards

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

A

lthough the end of this school year may have looked different than any before, Jordan Ridge third-grade teacher Kimberly Sanders knew it was important to give all 22 students in her class their year-end awards.

Since she couldn’t do it in person, because of schools transitioning to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders announced the awards over the last Zoom session with her students, June 3.

“Their faces lit up on the screen and were excited,” she said. “I shared the slides on the screen so they could see them, but they’ll have to come see me before the backto-school night to pick it up.”

The awards ranged from the “computer whiz” in the class to the “bunny lover” award.

The latter, she said, really touched her.

“She said, ‘I can’t believe it. I’m proud of myself.’ They were so cute and happy. I just looked at their strengths and tried to make it meaningful and fun. It was sad to say goodbye this way, but it gave them a lift at the same time.”

The school’s teachers also selected two citizenship awards for their class and then, students who worked to earn their Soaring Leader awards received them when technology items were turned in at the end of the school year.

Jordan Ridge wasn’t the only school to

Mountain Creek Middle School, like many schools across the area, presented its year-end awards virtually in light of the “soft closure” of schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Screenshot)

present end-of-the-year awards.

At Mountain Creek Middle School, Assistant Principal Tim Brooks said administration and teachers worked together to nominate and deliver awards for each grade level on a recorded video, available on their website.

Since the school is in its first year, they looked at other schools’ awards before deciding on their own.

“The kids don’t know about the awards other than attendance or high GPA (gradepoint average),” he said before the video was

posted. “So, there will be surprised faces.”

The video was posted in early June, after year-end drop-off of Chromebooks, textbooks, library books and picking up the memory book, filled with highlights from the school’s ribbon-cutting with South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey and the first school assembly to their abrupt end of in-person classes because of COVID-19, Brooks said.

The yearbook’s theme, “Your Future is Bright,” is what teachers and administrators have tried to maintain during the last months of the school year as ninth-grade teachers

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posted a fun video saying goodbye to their students and the dance teacher edited together the last performance to share. Even Instagram posts have kept an upbeat message.

“We’ll be mailing out the award certificates and medallions, so the kids feel a sense of the end of the school year and everything is fresh in their memories. By doing this, we can start next year anew; we don’t know what that will look like, but we can be ready. In the meantime, we’ll keep posting messages to the students saying, ‘hey, you’re OK; you’re buoyant, resilient’ and we’ll keep adding some humor.”

Cottonwood High instrumental instructor Amber Tuckness also wanted to ensure her 150 students received their awards.

Together with the music council, they awarded instrumental students awards from most improved to excellence in music. In a virtual award ceremony, the music council announced the awards before distributing them to students.

“I didn’t want this to be dropped or have anything taken away from the awards,” Tuckness said. “We gave every single one of our students an award and clapped and cheered for them. I even got sentimental and cried because I didn’t get to give them a hug and tell them how much I appreciated them.” l

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July 2020 | Page 21

Graduation Cup gives Murray High senior soccer players one last game

By Ryanne Riet | r.riet@mycityjournals.com

Senior midfielder Parker Richards helped Murray reach the semifinals of the Graduation Cup in Farmington.

(Travis Barton/City Journals)

H

igh school spring sports have taken a big hit this year on their fields.

School teams around the state have been cooped up and unable to participate in games or practices since late March.

As the state loosens restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, some of this year’s Utah high school soccer teams had

the opportunity to get back on the field to participate in the Graduation Cup. Murray High’s 5A soccer team took third place in the “Pomp” division of the tournament, getting knocked out by the 6A team from Westlake, who went on to take the Graduation Cup title.

“I was grateful to play with the seniors

one last time,” Murray midfielder Brian Garcia said. “We were looking forward to this year’s season.”

The Graduation Cup was unlike any other tournament that the Murray High soccer team has participated in— players’ temperatures were taken before each game, face masks were also a new addition to those that were allowed on sidelines.

“This tournament was for the seniors so they would get their chance to play some soccer their last year in high school,” Garcia said.

The idea for the Graduation Cup came from a Utah mom who just wanted this year’s seniors to have a good send off from their high school careers and one last chance on the field together as a team.

“The highlight of the tournament was the way we played as a team during our games,” Garcia said. “We played with discipline and courage.”

Murray won their group with wins over Bountiful (2-0) and Wasatch (6-1) before tying Viewmont (0-0) to advance to the semifinal where it lost to Westlake 2-0.

For many of Murray’s senior soccer players this tournament was their last hurrah, their final chance to kick the ball around with team members and friends, and a well-deserved chance to blow off a little pent-up

steam that had built during the canceled season.

“The Graduation Cup was great, we had lots of fun,” Garcia said. “I’m going to keep my head up and keep moving forward.” l

Murray High Boys Soccer Team, Graduation Cup 2020 (Photo courtesy Murray High)

Semifinal Murray soccer huddle. (Photo courtesy Murray High)

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Murray City Journal

State parks offer social distancing with a view

By Joshua Wood | j.wood@mycityjournals.com

U

tah’s State Parks welcomed more visitors than normal this spring as residents sought a safe escape from COVID-19 quarantine. With restrictions easing throughout much of the state and people looking for safe ways to get out, officials anticipate that visitation to continue. To keep people safe during peak seasons, officials encourage visitors to practice responsible recreation in state parks.

“We didn’t close any doors,” said Eugene Swalberg, public information officer with the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. “Many of the parks saw greater than normal seasonal visitation.”

Initial lockdown measures restricted visitation to Utah State Parks to county residents only in April. Then, as restrictions eased in May, park visitation took off. The four state parks near St. George, for example, all saw higher than normal attendance this spring even with limitations in place. In fact, some parks had to limit visitors on busy days as parks like Quail Creek State Park filled up.

“Many reservations were canceled due to COVID for a period early on,” Swalberg said. Reservations and day use then increased as restrictions eased and people looked for ways to practice social distancing in the great outdoors.

Even in cooler Northern Utah, park visitation was on the rise this spring. East Canyon, Deer Creek and Willard Bay all saw

more people in April than in years past, according to Swalberg.

In Southern Utah, campgrounds in state parks have been full, while day use has also increased. Kodachrome Basin State Park reported full campgrounds in spring once county-level restrictions were eased for state parks. The appeal of open spaces has continued to attract visitors.

“Once you hit the trails, you’ve got room to spread out and practice social distancing,” said Nathan Martinez, park manager at Kodachrome Basin State Park. “I think people were tired of being cooped up. They wanted to get outside and do some hiking, and this is a great place to do your social distancing.”

Utah has 44 state parks and museums and over 2,300 campsites. Visitors can hike or bike 324 miles of trails in state parks. The parks reflect the diverse landscape of Utah and offer visitors the opportunity to get out.

A list of parks and COVID-related updates can be found at stateparks.utah.gov.

For those who journey to the parks, the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation encourages visitors to be safe when visiting.

“The buzz word is responsible recreation,” Swalberg said. “We encourage social distancing, and for people to not congregate at trailheads, clean up after themselves, and to Utah has 44 state parks and museums. (Joshua Wood/City Journals) stay home if they’re sick.” l

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July 2020 | Page 23

Is Utah’s new high school playoff format working?

By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

T

his year, the Utah High School Activities Association changed the way it runs state tournaments. First, it began allowing all teams to participate in the state tournament. Second, it began seeding the tournament based on a formula, the Ratings Percentage Index, or RPI, rather than on how a team finished in its

region.

Why did UHSAA make these changes? Contrary to some Facebook commenters, it wasn’t for the purpose of giving every team a “participation trophy” in the form of a state tournament invite. The actual reason was to create a more competitive state tournament, as counterintuitive as that may seem. The question is, were they successful?

Unbalanced Regions Prior to these changes, a team had to finish in the top four of their six-school region to make the state tournament. This meant that in certain deeper regions, a talented team with the potential to go far in the tournament wouldn’t even get a chance. On the flip side, the runner-up or even the winner of a weaker region might be bounced in the first round. Seeding the tournament based on region rankings sometimes led to anticlimactic tournaments in which the best two teams happened to meet in the quarter or semifinals, rather than the finals.

The idea is that separating tournament qualification and seeding from region finish should ensure that the best teams make it into the tournament and are also seeded by how good they are, rather

than geography.

A perfect example of this would be this year’s Lone Peak boys basketball team. The Knights finished fifth in the very competitive Region 4 standings (only two games separated the second place team from the fifth place team). In previous years, they would have been left out of the playoffs. However, the RPI formula (which considers a team’s record, its strength of schedule and its opponents strength of schedule) rated them the 12th best team in the 6A classification. They turned out to be even better than that, as they made it all the way to the semifinals where they lost by two to the No. 1 seed Davis. The difference between being left out of the tournament completely and being a basket away from the championship

one basket to Farmington (who themselves lost by one basket to the eventual champions).

While Provo and Lone Peak show how the new format can work well, they were the exceptions this year. The vast majority of teams who finished in the bottom of their region didn’t do much at their respective state tournaments.

In 5A football, the eight teams who finished in the bottom two of their regions went a combined 0-7 and were outscored by a combined total of 78 to 305 in the first round of the playoffs. The eighth team, Cottonwood High, declined their invitation to the playoffs after an 0-10 season in which they were outscored by a combined total of 579-13.

Similarly in 5A girls soccer, the bot-

The average margin of victory in the state basketball tournament from the first round through semifinals.

(Graphic by Justin Adams/City Journals)

game was a change in tournament rules.

Similarly in 5A, Provo High’s boys basketball team finished second-to-last in its eight-team region. However, they made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament where they also lost by just

tom two teams from each region all failed to advance past the first round and were outscored by a total of 2 to 38.

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Murray City Journal

their final game of the season.

One side effect of this change is that it makes region realignment a little easier.

Under the previous rules, you wouldn’t want the six best schools to be in a region together, even if that’s what made the most sense geographically, because it would mean two of those six teams would be punished each year just for being in a better region. Now, UHSAA can form regions that make more sense geographically without having to worry as much about competitive repercussions.

Competitiveness UHSAA Assistant Director Jon Oglesby told the Standard-Examiner before this year that “the goal of the RPI is to create a more competitive state tournament, which some coaches believe will be accomplished.”

As previously noted, many of the lower-seeded teams experienced some pretty lopsided losses in the first rounds of state tournaments this year, but that’s bound to happen in any tournament that seeds the best teams against the worst teams in the first round. But does the different seeding strategy result in more competitive games later on in the tournament?

To try to answer that question, the City Journals looked at the scores of all the games in the boys and girls state basketball tournaments for both the 5A and

6A classifications comparing the average margin of victory (both by round and throughout the tournament as a whole) to last year’s tournament to see if there was a noticeable difference.

On the boys side, there was almost no change at all. In 5A, the average margin of victory throughout the 2019 tournament was 10.7 points. In 2020, the exact same. At the 6A level, the average margin of victory actually increased from 12.5 to 12.7 points.

However, there may be some evidence that the seeding resulted in better matchups toward the end of the tournaments. In 6A, the average margin of victory during the semifinal round dropped from 9.5 to 4 points, while in 5A, it dropped from 8 to 2 points. (Granted, this is a small sample size of just two games per classification. We will have to wait for future years to say whether or not the new system consistently produces more competitive games in the late stages of the state tournament.)

On the girls side, there was a little more evidence of increased competitive balance throughout the competition.

In 6A, the average margin of victory throughout the tournament dropped from 20.5 to 18.5 points, while 5A dropped from 15.1 to 12.2 points.

Quirks The new playoff format has intro-

duced a few quirks that may or may not have been anticipated by UHSAA. Lone Peak sanctions – This fall the Lone Peak football team had five of its wins vacated due to a sanction. Under previous rules, that would have meant they would likely miss the state tournament. But because every team goes to the tournament now, Lone Peak still got to go and got seeded as the 20th best team, even though they were in fact much better than that. That was bad news for their

first round opponent, No. 13th-seeded Riverton. Through no fault of their own, Riverton had to play a much better team in the first round than they should have and subsequently lost 37-8.

Region races – Many coaches have bemoaned the fact that winning one’s region doesn’t matter as much anymore.

It’s not a guarantee that a region winner will be seeded higher by the RPI system than the region’s runner-up, which is critical when considering that first-round byes are awarded to the three to five highest-rated teams.

Region rematches – The previous state tournament purposefully placed teams from the same region on opposite sides of the bracket. Now, with seeding being untied from region alignment, you get instances like the Timpanogos football team losing its regular season finale to region foe Timpview by a score of 52-23, only to then get matched up with them again in the first round of the state playoffs, losing by a similar score just one week later. l

For CHS girls golfer, Utah Section PGA tourney was a unique opportunity at an uncertain time

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

F

or Cottonwood junior Jasmine Wonnacott, she thought playing any sport during the COVID-19 pandemic would provide some welcome relief from being stuck at home. She just didn’t know, however, that sport would be golf.

Wonnacott, who played significant minutes on the Cottonwood varsity basketball team last year had already been playing in intramural games in the Cottonwood High gym this summer, preparing for her senior year.

But, when several Cottonwood girls golfers told Wonnacott about the possibility of playing in the Utah Section PGA in a group chat text message, Wonnacott jumped at the chance.

“Our team captain (senior Zoe Sager) texted me and then I texted our coach (Greg Southwick) saying that I’d be interested,” Wonnacott said.

“I was so excited,” she added, “because under normal circumstances I may not qualify for the state tournament so I felt this was a great opportunity.”

Wonnacott and her three Cottonwood teammates were only able to practice for

MurrayJournal .com

four days leading up to this Utah Section PGA, which was cobbled together after the Utah High School Activities Association canceled all spring sports in 2020.

Tournament organizers decided that the best place for it would be Fox Hollow, located in Utah County where pandemic restrictions aren’t as severe as Salt Lake or Davis County.

At the tournament it was senior Aleigha Beverley who led the way for the Cottonwood girls, tying for 41st place overall among all Class 5A golfers. Junior Katie George came in 59th while sophomore Sophie Taggart finished tied for 66th.

Just down the leaderboard, but not too far off the pace of her Cottonwood teammates sat Wonnacott, who shot a +60 in her 18 holes at the Utah Section PGA, her first major golf event “I feel like I did alright. I felt like I could’ve done better but at the same time, we only got a couple weeks of practice in.

It was so pretty there! I had a lot of fun,” adding that she cannot wait for next year. l

July 2020 | Page 25

First month of sales tax numbers show uneven impacts of COVID-19

By Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

T

he forced closure of many businesses in the Salt Lake Valley because of COVID-19 precautions was not only a concern for business owners, but also city governments whose monthly revenue is heavily dependent on sales tax distribution. However, there is a two month delay from the time the sales tax is collected to the time it gets deposited into a city’s account.

That meant that city leaders around the valley weren’t able to see the initial economic impact of COVID-19 on their city budget until the month of May, when the Utah State Tax Commission released its report for the month of March.

The report surprisingly showed that many cities in Salt Lake County saw increases in taxable sales relative to the same month in 2019 meaning people actually spent more money in spite of all the store closures. How could that be?

Interestingly, it seems that the smaller a cities’ economy is, the better they have fared so far during the pandemic. Of all the municipalities in Salt Lake County, the nine smallest economies all experienced increases in sales from March 2019 to March 2020.

Of the six largest, four experienced decreases (Salt Lake City, Sandy, Draper and Murray).

Herriman City, for example, had less taxable sales than any other city in the county in March 2019, with just over $18 million.

However, in March 2020, that number grew

to $26 million. That’s a growth of 43%, the highest in the valley. (Of a city’s taxable sales, 1% of the sales tax goes toward local government, with half being allocated based on where the purchase occurred and the rest being allocated to cities based on population.

Because of this, the amount of sales tax funds a city receives isn’t exactly proportional to the amount of taxable sales in that city.)

So what has caused cities with smaller economies to fare better during the pandemic? Basically, smaller cities have a higher proportion of “essential” businesses. In a smaller and younger city like Herriman, a larger portion of its businesses are things like grocery stores and fast food, which were able to not only stay open, but to even see record sales.

Herriman Assistant City Manager Tami Moody told the City Journals that what many consider a weakness of Herriman (it only has fast food and grocery stores) turned out to be a strength during this time.

“Herriman obviously has fast food and grocery industry. Those two have actually been the industries that have fared better than most. Fast food is already set up to have a drive-up window. When this all started, people were heading to the grocery store to make sure they had everything they needed,” she said.

On the other hand, cities which saw the biggest decreases in taxable sales had a few

Cities with smaller economies were more likely to see an increase in their taxable sales this March, relative to their sales from March of 2019.

things in common. One, large shopping malls that were forced to close. With the closures of The Shops at South Town and Fashion Place Mall, Sandy and Murray saw -5.9% and -16.6% drops in taxable sales. Two, a couple of cities lost sales from the closure of venues for professional sports and other entertainment, such as Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy and the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. Interestingly though, West Valley City which has both a shopping mall

and a major sports/entertainment venue, yet was still able to produce more sales tax than it had in 2019.

Of course, all these numbers come from March, the first month that the virus began to seriously impact the United States and people bought so much that they literally emptied grocery store shelves. The sales tax report numbers for April and May will likely yield more insights into the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on city budgets. l

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Murray City Journal

Logistics still need tweaking, but girls wrestling officially sanctioned

By Greg James and Julie Slama | g.james@mycityjournals.com

T

he Utah High School Activities Association has sanctioned girls wrestling .

“Yes, I voted to sanction it,” UHSAA board of trustees member Marilyn Richards said. “I’m a fan of making an opportunity where the interest lies.”

The UHSAA currently supports 14 sports and activities for 155 member schools. Utah is the 20th state to sanction girls wrestling.

The sanctioning laid the groundwork for an official state championship tournament to be held in February 2021. In the meantime, there are many obstacles to overcome, including classifications, weight classes, regions and logistics. Some schools still need practice times and coaches.

Girls will no longer wrestle against boys, which has been a huge sticking point.

In 2016, Davis County student-athlete Kathleen Janis, and her family, sued the school district to allow her to join the junior high wrestling team. After the suit was settled, Janis was allowed to try out for her school’s team. As a graduating senior, she wrestled for three years at Layton High School.

Sage Mortimer, from Spanish Fork, is the No. 1-ranked female wrestler in the country at 100 pounds, and yet she still finds boys who refuse to compete against her.

As a non-sanctioned sport, the athletes were forced to participate in coed teams throughout their high school seasons. Coed wrestling can be difficult for the girls. Boys of the same weight class are generally stronger, and boys did not want to wrestle against their female counterparts.

“It’s a boys only team,” they were told by many league organizers.

The national organization, USA Wrestling, has sponsored several girls only meets to help promote the sport.

In February, there was a fifth girls state championship at Telos High School in Orem.

Westlake High School won the title, Fremont placed second and Cyprus was third. In 2019, Kearns took home the championship.

The number of girls participating in wrestling has increased steadily. In 2019, 78 girls participated in the state tournament; this past season 117 did. Cyprus had a team of 16. According to the National Federation of High School Associations, the number of female wrestlers has nearly doubled the last three years.

“Girls are already wrestling in schools, so this way they can put things in place,” Richards said.

“We have had girls every year,” Hillcrest Athletic Director Sally Williams said. “We have not had enough to hire a separate coach.

Being sanctioned will give girls an equal playing field.”

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Girls wrestlers such as Angie Magana will no longer compete against boys as the Utah High School Activities Association has sanctioned girls wrestling. (Greg James/City Journals)

Being sanctioned allows girls to wrestle other girls but does not solve all the sports problems. Finding coaches and organizing into regions and classifications is going to be a big job.

Hunter High School is currently looking for a coach for its girls team. Athletic Director Pam Olson said they have posted the position three times and have had no applicants.

Cyprus recently hired Jhonny Carrero to take over the program from former head coach Cara Romeike who moved on to become the women’s wrestling head coach at Hastings College.

“I met the right people at the right time,” Carrero said. “I think we have a great team returning. We have two state placers and a returning state champion. The girls are spreading the word. When school starts, I think more girls will be interested, especially when they see the environment. We are a team; we want to win a title this year.”

The Pirates have had 18 girls attend summer conditioning. Carrero expects 25–30 to join the team by the time the season starts.

“I have scheduled a couple of duels already,” Carrero said. “I know Westlake and Fremont want to get together, and there are a few smaller schools that are trying to start programs. We are trying to work together as a wrestling community to build the sport.”

Schools in the Midwest often offer women’s wrestling as a competitive sport.

“Sanctioning is a great thing,” Carrero said. “Wrestling could give these girls opportunities after high school. There are many places for these ladies. The sport is growing and growing fast. Ladies should join the ride.

The bonds they can build with teammates is what can last forever.” l

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www.murraychamber.org July 2020 | Page 27

GSD Board discusses surplus, salaries and strategies for COVID-19 second wave

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

A

live-streamed Granite School District Board meeting on June 16 was an important one for the coming school year. The 2019-20 budget was reconciled, and the budget for 2020-21 was proposed. One main finding was GSD’s surplus from activities that were canceled at the end of the year.

There was also a discussion about learning scenarios during a COVID-19 spike.

Mitch Robison, director of Budget Development, called it a “weird year for everything, including the budget.” Robison said though the legislature has met and allocated funds for schools, the Board anticipates a special session where education funding may be adjusted.

The last day of the legislative session was March 12. Schools closed on March 13.

The closure was meant to last two weeks, but went through the end of the school year.

The canceled activities came with a silver lining: less money spent. There was also a “savings” on wage payments when some employees decided to leave early. The official amount of one-time savings will be known in September or October.

Despite the uncertainty of the year, the Board is obligated to follow a timeline. GSD met the requirements to publish the proposed 2020-21 budget online and advertise the hearing, get public input, adopt the budget and set a tax rate for the coming school year.

The proposed 2020-21 budget is $854 million. The biggest piece of the pie is the General Fund, which pays out teacher compensation.

Robison said the General Fund “is really dependent on the legislature…and 90% of it goes for salaries and benefits.” GSD proposed a raise for new teachers and a 5% COLA (cost of living adjustment). Incoming qualified teachers with a bachelor’s degree will start at $50,000+ per year. That makes GSD “competitive with their neighbors” such as Canyons District, which adopted a similar pay scale for 2019-20.

The closing of two schools, Sandburg and Westbrook, each represent a savings of $700,000. GSD must hire two PBAT internal support employees at $200,000 to help transition to the new PBAT state licensure program. Seventy-five million dollars was requested for health insurance costs.

The 2020-21 proposed tax rate is .007429%. The time was opened for comments from the public. Director of Communications Ben Horsley reported that no one from the public had come in person to comment or sent in comments. The Board motioned to adopt the budget.

The topic of the meeting shifted to how COVID-19 may affect learning in 2020-21.

There was discussion over what was neces-

sary—was the requirement masks or physical distancing, or masks and physical distancing?

John Welburn, assistant superintendent of School Leadership & Development, gave a presentation on possible learning scenarios based on the color code for Utah. Different schools could be in different colors.

Utah experienced an increase in cases after trying to reopen. The date of the meeting, June 16, Salt Lake County was in the yellow phase, but Salt Lake City, where many GSD schools are located, was back in the orange phase.

In the scenario, schools would operate as normal during a green phase. The yellow phase could be a hybrid of in-school learning and distance learning, such as half the students attending school on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, and distance learning for all on Fridays. Orange and red phases would mean distance learning only for all students.

Board members questioned aspects of the scenarios. There are potential difficulties for families with parents working full-time, those who utilize day care, have children at multiple schools on possible different schedules or those with limited access to computers and internet.

Some parents may not feel comfortable sending children to school at all, even in a

green phase. Students with special needs may be highly vulnerable and fall in high-risk health categories.

Welburn said he gets comments from community members to, “Just do this, just do that,” and the schools should work fine. “What people need to understand is that we don’t have the authority to make those decisions. We are required to comply with policies. And we will always put the safety of our students first.”

In addition, Welburn reported that the average class size at the secondary level is 38 students. “You can’t do face-to-face instruction with that many students and do 6 feet apart,” Welburn said.

Board members questioned whether students could be compelled to wear a mask.

There are also concerns about air turnover in classrooms. Guidance from the CDC seemed to be “a moving target.” Others worried that students might feel they need to leave GSD and register for a special online school instead of setting that up within the district.

Despite sympathy for those who just want to get back to normal—students, parents, teachers—it is a time of uncertainty for face-to-face learning. “Regardless of the color phase we’re in, if distancing guidelines can be met, we’ll meet in school. If they can’t, we’ll have to do something else,” Welburn said. l

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Oakwood student sees an ocean in bubbles and wins Reflections honorable mention

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

Oakwood fourth-grader Paul Navaravong’s photo for the 2019-2020 Reflections theme “Look Within” was awarded an honorable mention at the state level.

(Photo courtesy Utah PTA)

O

akwood fourth-grader Paul Navaravong had intended to enter the 2019-2020 Reflections contest, but the entry itself was kind of an accident. So it was a happy surprise when the photograph he submitted for the theme “Look Within” ended up winning

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him an honorable mention at the state level.

“My little sister Rosie was doing a science experiment with milk, soap and food coloring. It was supposed to make a rainbow, and it didn’t look like it was working. I said it looked like an ocean, and I took a photograph of it with my mom’s phone,” Paul said.

He used the photograph for his Reflections entry. He didn’t think he had much of a chance to win, especially after he saw other entries. “I went to this room with all the winners, and I saw people had videos and really good paintings. It felt really good to win,” Paul said.

Paul’s mom Chayanoot Navaravong was pleasantly surprised, too. “We didn’t expect him to win at all; it was just a random picture.

We were excited and so proud of him. We just moved here from Iowa, so this is nice,” Navaravong said.

Reflections entries in Utah advance through different levels, beginning with the school, said Rebekah Pitts, a Utah PTA Board Reflections specialist.

“There are five levels of the program— school, council, region, state and national.

The quality of Utah entries this year was outstanding. Of the 30 Utah entries that advanced to the national level of competition, 16 won national awards. Utah had more national winners than any other state,” Pitts said.

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Like most school activities, COVID-19 restrictions changed the original plans for the March 27 Reflections Awards Night. Fortunately, the entries had already been judged, so after some brainstorming, Pitts and her committee came up with a virtual awards night on May 2, the day after national winners were announced.

“When we realized we would not be able to hold an in-person celebration, we needed a way to honor the children that would be memorable and make each child feel special.

Because we had all of the entries turned in and judged online, we had access to create a virtual program,” Pitts said.

Pitts went out of her way to make sure each student received their award in the mail.

“I contacted each parent to verify that I had the correct mailing address and to inquire about name pronunciation. This was a labor of love as we had over 180 state winners. My family helped me package the awards and certificates to mail out so they would arrive by the night of the virtual awards night,” Pitts said.

For the virtual awards event, Pitts created a slideshow with clips and screenshots of all the winning entries. It was easier on winners outside the Salt Lake Valley because they could attend without having to make the long drive.

Paul Navaravong was in fourth grade at Oakwood Elementary when he entered his photograph for Reflections. His entry won an honorable mention at the state level. (Photo courtesy of Chayanoot Navaravong)

Pitts will barely have time to catch a breath before she starts working on the 2020-2021 Reflections contest. The theme for 2020-2021 is “I Matter Because…” She won’t be surprised if some of the student work is inspired by the unusual year we’ve had. But she stressed that the most important part is how the student interprets the theme and articulates it in her or his artist statement.

“The beauty of the Reflections program is that the children reflect on the theme and create artwork expressing what that theme means to each one of them individually. They are free to make any connection that has TM meaning to them personally. Pieces with a creative but understandable theme interpretation often score well and advance far in the program,” Pitts said.

Reflections specialists at the schools avoid making suggestions like tying in the theme with the pandemic. “It will be interesting to see how the children interpret the theme ‘I Matter Because…’ We want the children to interpret the theme in ways that resonate with them personally rather than using suggestions from others. But I will not be surprised if many entries tie in feelings and Are you a business leader? events that occurred during the pandemic,” TM At no cost, the ElevateHER Challenge is easy Pitts said. to accept and will benefit your company.

As Paul found out, sometimes the inspiration for a winning entry can strike at an Join businesses across Utah in unexpected time, or something beautiful can our mission to elevate the stature come out of what initially looked like a failof women’s leadership. Take the ElevateHERTM Challenge and stand with ure. Paul titled his work “The Experiment.” other businesses as we pledge to elevate His interpretation was a positive spin on the women in senior leadership positions, in theme of “Look Within.”

“It was my sister’s failure-ish experiboardrooms, on management teams and ment. But when I looked at it, there was all on politcal ballots. the blue and it had bubbles and I saw what looked like foam. She thought it was a failLEARN MORE: ure, but I looked within and saw an ocean,” www.WLIUT.com/challenge Paul said. l

Take the ElevateHER Challenge

July 2020 | Page 29

Pandemic: How to save money and support the local economy

by

Bryan Dean

The world is a new place, at least for now there is a new normal. Many of us are waiting to see if the new normal will become the normal, or if the old normal will come back. Either way for now we have to live in this pandemic shaped economy.

According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis the personal savings rate hit a historic high of 33%. With the uncertainty of the current situation, and scars from the 2008 recession still fresh, it’s understandable that people would be very hesitant to spend. Not to mention how much toilet paper can one person stockpile?

But there is another side of the story, the economy. If everyone stops spending then everyone would stop earning. So how does one balance the line, spend enough to keep the economy strong but save enough to be responsible.

I propose that the answer to that question is not how much you spend, rather how and where you spend it. Here are five ways to balance the save money vs. build the economy problem.

1. Buy Local has to be a priority now. Over the last 10 years

our economy has been strong. Its been OK, not awesome, but OK if people shifted some of their spending from local. But remember the more local you spend your money the stronger your local economy is.

Now buying local is not as easy at it sounds. Sure it is easy to make the choice to buy your products at a local store instead of Amazon or a website. But it goes deeper than that. Every shopping decision has a different factor of localness.

For instance if you need to buy a power tool or some home improvement product, you can buy it from Lowes or you can buy it from a locally owned hardware store. Both Lowes and the hardware store create local jobs, and they both pay local taxes. but more of the profit at the hardware store will stay local.

Look for local products. Harmons grocery stores does a great job at showing you what products are local. I wish all stores did this.

Last month I was at a hardware store, OK honestly I was at Lowes, I needed a ladder. As I looked at the assortment I realized that

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4. Get rid of the storage unit. I laugh everytime I pass one of these storage unit businesses. I realize that there are certain legitimate reasons that one would need to rent a storage unit, but I don't think most people are using it for that type of reason.

I remember my dad taking me to a storage unit that he rented.

It was full of things, I don't know where it all came from but every few months we would go down and sort through some things, and take some new items to add to the collection.

Even at a young age, I remeber sitting there on the back of his truck thinking, “if you put this stuff here because we don't need it, then why do we own it.”

I implore you stop buying stuff you don't need and for sure stop paying for storage on stuff you don't use, and for most of you if you put it in the storage unit you probably don't need it, clean it out, sell it, and save that monthly storage unit fee. l

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Little Giant ladder systems were a Utah business, so it was an easy decision.

2. Buy Services not Products. If you are trying to help the economy you will likely do more good buying services rather than products.

Let’s consider an example.

When you purchase a lawn mower, the majority of the purchase price goes to the manufacturer which is probably not a Utah Company. But when you pay someone to mow your lawn, nearly all of it stays local. The person who is mowing your lawn is much more likely to do business with the business you work for than say Honda.

3. Launch a side hustle or two. I realize that this is not really saving money, unless you consider the age old advice a dollar saved is a dollar earned, then this is just the flip side of that. In today’s world there are an abundance of ways you can start a side hustle. Sell some of your unneeded stuff on eBay, breed your dog (everyone wants some type of oodle these days), rent out storage on apps like Neighbor, drive for Uber or Lyft, I saw a new App to rent your RV,

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This stupid pandemic has changed our relationship with food. With most restaurants and bars closed, people are looking for new ways to stay nourished and inebriated.

Working from home for several weeks, we prepared three meals a day, plus snacks, for five people and a needy puppy. And by “snacks” I mean we pretty much ate all day long. We wore a groove in the tile from the living room to the pantry.

When the lock-down started, I innocently said, “Think of the money we’ll save by not eating at restaurants. We’re going to lose so much weight not eating fast food!”

Things went downhill fast.

Not only do we spend a dump truck load of money for groceries each week, but we’re stress-eating 24 hours a day. I’ve baked cookies, cakes, muffins and brownies – and that was just this morning.

My daughter and I take turns making meals. We try to find things everyone will enjoy, which is absolutely impossible.

We have lots of pasta and rice dishes, fish sticks and take-out pizza. My daughter is a vegetarian, so her meals are full of veggies, chickpeas and quinoa, or

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mashed potatoes and my dad said, “Those are just the eyes of the potato” which gave me a potato phobia for several decades as I envisioned eating little potato eyeballs.

My grandma made lima beans to spite me. She’d serve a big bowl of pale-green mushiness mixed with greasy, globular pork fat, then shame me for not

For not growing up in the Great Depression, my mom was adept at whipping up meals that could have been served in a Dickensian orphanage. She’d buy things at the grocery store and I’d cry because I knew what was coming.

Jars of dried beef? Creamed chipped beef on toast. Sour cream? “Beef” stroganoff made with noodles, sour cream gravy and textured vegetable protein.

Once I complained about lumpy

eating it.

“When I was a little girl, I’d be happy and grateful for lima beans,” she’d say. “I wasn’t spoiled.”

“Were lima beans invented when you were a little girl?” I’d ask, which usually got me another spoonful of the vile stuff.

Stewed tomatoes, tapioca pudding (eyeballs again), my dad’s flour pudding (don’t ask), deviled eggs (obviously) and potato salad (eww) round out my

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list of things I’ll never eat again.

But back to today, where my food choices are substantially subpar. If I’m going to die from a ridiculous coronavirus, I might as well eat what I want.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And it’s not some murderous chef with a flamethrower.

Following COVID-19 restrictions, some restaurants are opening again. The hubbie and I donned our face masks, took a swig of hand sanitizer, put on some plastic gloves and hit a Mexican restaurant for the first time in months. The chile verde almost brought me to tears. The margarita definitely did.

It will be an interesting summer as picnics, BBQs, family reunions and vacations are being reimagined. So many of our celebrations revolve around food and sharing it with the people we love. The trick is finding the balance to do it safely.

Our dishwasher runs nonstop. The grandkids (and husband) complain about eating asparagus. But we’re creating new recipes, experimenting with flavors and planting a garden.

We’re finding new ways to stay nourished and inebriated. l

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July 2020 | Vol. 20 Iss. 07

FREE LOCAL STUDENT-ARTISTS HONORED AS STATE REFLECTION WINNERS —VIRTUALLY

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

A

junior high boy is smitten by a girl and is desperately trying to impress her. Instead, on more than one occasion, he trips and even loses all his notes before an entire class.

“The Crush,” which ends with the girl falling for the boy when he is taking care of his baby sister, is the film that captured the state PTA Reflections title by Hillcrest Jr. High filmmaker and student Leif Larson.

Leif was to be one of several area students to be honored at the state Reflections awards night, but instead, he watched from afar as the ceremony was aired virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme for entries was “Look Within.”

“I was still surprised I won,” Leif said about the Award of Excellence in film. “I got the idea after we were throwing around ideas at dinner. I thought sure, I’d try to do a rom com (romantic comedy) and got some friends to help.”

The Murray teen estimates that he spent 25 hours on the project, beginning last September. He created sketches and a storyboard, learned how to edit from his older brother, and found music, as the entire story was delivered without dialogue—until the parting shot after the credits rolled—when the boy and girl learned they were second cousins.

“I had done Reflections when I was younger and won at region, but this is the first time I had won at state,” the eighth-grader said. “I had a lot of fun doing it and I learned new things while doing it. It’s a way we can express ourselves and still have fun.”

In fact, Leif was a double award-winner as his photo of the night sky at Capitol Reef National Park took the state’s

Hillcrest Junior High eighth-grader Leif Larson shows his top awards from the virtual state PTA Reflections award ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Cheree Larson)

Award of Merit.

Now with summer ahead of him, he already is brainstorming ideas to the theme, “I Matter” for this upcoming year.

“I want to win nationals someday. I think if I put enough work into it, I can do it,” he said.

Leif isn’t the only student set on working on Reflections

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