Riverton Journal | October 2022

By Dylan Wilcox | d.wilcox@mycityjournals.com

Artists Dave Argyle, Brook Bowen and Nathan Brimhall, among others, greeted guests at an open house for the Utah Artists Exhibition held at the Old Dome Meeting Hall in Riverton on Friday, Aug. 29.

Dave Argyle is a professional photog rapher based in Salt Lake City, whose spe cialty, according to his website, “is sports and other action-filled events, particularly those with difficult lighting conditions such as night games, gyms, indoor arenas, and stages. [Argyle] uses state-of-the-art profes sional cameras and software, as well as spe cialized lights” to capture moving images of basketball teams to soccer teams.

Another photographer who shares the same passion for capturing the moment as Argyle is Riverton City photographer Brook Bowen. Bowen and Argyle attended a ro deo where they took the same picture of a cowboy being bucked off a steer. “I took the photo from the front and Dave took the same photo from the back, one second before I did,” Bowen said.

Bowen’s photos highlight various imag es of Riverton City from city events, such as aerial shots of Fourth of July rodeos to iconic images of Old Dome Meeting Hall. Bowen focuses on hidden gems of the community.

His passion for photography has served him well in his current job as the city’s marketing specialist. He redesigned Riverton’s image by recreating logos for the police department

and the city insignia. His work earned him the Outstanding City Employee Award this year.

Community members peruse art displays in the Riverton Old Dome Meeting Hall on Monday, Aug. 29. (Brook Bowen/Riverton City)

Riverton’s Day of Service to become an annual event

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

When Riverton City held its first 9/11 Na tional Day of Service and Remembrance in 2021, it was so successful that city leaders wanted to do it again.

This year, the city’s day of service was held Sept. 10 and hundreds of residents showed up in various locations throughout Riverton to participate in service projects that included weeding, cleaning headstones, gathering dona tion items, writing thank-you notes and filling sandbags.

“We started it last year when it was the 20th anniversary of 9/11,” said Riverton Coun cilmember Tawnee McCay. “We thought it would be a good way to remember the lives that were lost and how we came together as a country. We figured if we came together as a community to do good and serve shoul der-to-shoulder, it would be a good way to re member it.”

A big project this year was cleaning out the grass clippings and trash that have clogged Midas Creek. Due to the creek backing up in the past, several homes were flooded, so that area was a focus for much of the clean-up, with rubbish removed from more than 2,100 feet of the channel.

Different religious groups worked togeth er, along with the Lions Club of Riverton, Boy Scouts of America troops and many other orga nizations, to make a difference in the city.

Volunteers filled more than 400 trash bags, hauled 32 tons of waste to the landfills, cleaned more than 100 headstones and the vet erans’ monument at the cemetery, placed 6,000 square-feet of sod, weeded 10,000 square feet of parking strip areas and filled enough sand bags to fill three large pallets.

There was also an opportunity for res idents to write thank-you notes to firemen, veterans, senior citizens and medical workers.

Some groups made sleeping mats out of recy cled bags and others participated in a house hold supplies drive for refugees.

“We would have spent millions to get the amount of work done that was done that day,” McCay said. “I loved how so many different organizations came together for the good of our community.”

In addition to the day of service, 911 American flags were placed in Riverton City Park (1452 W. 12600 South) to honor those lost on 9/11. Visitors to the flag display could fol low a timeline of events from that devastating day in the country’s history.

“The generosity makes my heart swell,” McCay said. “I loved to see people come to gether and work side-by-side for the good of Riverton and the greater community, and even other parts of the world.” l

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Hundreds

Gorton

Mieka

jason.c@thecityjournals.com

(Courtesy of Tawnee McCay)

Riverton City volunteers filled more than 400 trash bags, hauled 32 tons of waste to the landfills and weeded 10,000 square feet of parking strip areas as part of the city’s day of service. (Courtesy of Tawnee McCay)

A display featuring 911 American flags was placed at Riverton City Park (1452 W. 12600 South) as part of the city’s day of service. (Courtesy of Riverton City)

By Justin Adams

In its fourth year of existence, the Mountain Ridge girls soccer team has won the Region 3 crown. As of the Journal’s press deadline, the team held a perfect region record of 9-0, with one game remaining against Copper Hills on Sep. 27.

Not only had the Sentinels not lost a region game, they won many in dominant fashion. Through nine games, they had ac cumulated a combined goal differential of 33-5. Even more impressive is the fact that this is a pretty young team, as they only start three seniors.

Head coach Jeremey King credits the team’s success to a few ingredients: their maturity, their fitness and their willingness to play as a team. All three of those traits were on display during one match last month against Copper Hills.

After a hard-fought yet scoreless first half, Copper Hills was able to get on the scoresheet first in the second half. While a lot of teams start to panic when they con cede a first goal, the Sentinels instead just buckled down and scored five of their own in response.

“Copper Hills came out and smacked us in the face. They were more physical than us. They were aggressive. They were beating us to the ball. But the team just dug down,” King said.

It’s also no accident that the team scored so many goals in the second half. King said the team takes pride in their fit ness level - he doesn’t sub much and only plays about 14 players regularly.

“Our motto has always been, we’re going to play hard until the end, so we’re going to score a lot of our goals towards the end of the game,” he said.

The leading goal-scorer for the Senti nels this year has been freshman phenom Kya Newton, with an astounding 18 goals,

justin.a@thecityjournals.com

the most by any player in the 6A classifi cation.

“Kya Newton is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever met. She comes to practice every day and works hard, takes criticism and coaching well. She’s a great teammate,” King said.

That coachability comes in part from being the daughter of a coach, according to King. (Newton’s mom is McKenzie New

ton, the Mountain Ridge girls basketball coach.)

But it’s by no means a one-girl wreck ing crew, as 10 other players on the ros ter have registered goals this season. And many of the goals scored by Newton are made possible by her teammates.

Sophomore midfielder Kelsie Peter son is the team’s primary distributor, and leads the team in assists. “She controls

the middle of the field. Everything runs through Kelsey. Her and Kya have devel oped a great relationship,” King said.

As the regular season draws to a close and the team sets its eyes on the state tour nament, King said they still need to work on playing faster and handling pressure better. The state playoffs kick off Oct. 6. l

Teachers are changing your child’s grades: Standards-based grading will soon replace letter-based grades

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Standards Based Grading

Parents can no longer expect their children to earn straight A’s because the letter grade system is being phased out in Jordan District schools.

“Around the country, there's a shift in how we grade students and it's really looking at the standard and their progress towards mas tery, rather than a percentage that gives you a grade,” said Todd Theobald, administrator on special assignment in the Teaching and Learn ing Department at Jordan District. “It reflects the shift that has already taken place in in struction, of really focusing on standards in a very deep way, not just learning and grading and telling people how much homework they turned in and just this general percentage on the test, but really digging into what is that skill asking for.”

Letter-based grades are being replaced with standards-based grading, which uses a 1–4 scale to identify a student’s progress to ward proficiency in a skill.

While SBG has been implemented at the secondary school level, the change-over is in the early stages at the elementary level in Jor dan District. Six elementary schools are pilot ing SBG this year: Oak Leaf, Mountain Shad ows and Riverside in West Jordan; Bastian in Herriman; and Jordan Ridge and Daybreak Elementary in South Jordan. Participants meet frequently to troubleshoot and to share ideas about implementation.

“This is a true pilot where there's a lot of feedback going back and forth between the dis trict and the schools,” Riverside Principal Dr. Mike Trimmell said.

The pilot schools spent years laying a lot of groundwork to be able to support the new grading system. Several other schools have ad opted some aspects of SBG and will be ready for full implementation next year. Theobald expects every elementary school to be changed over to SBG in the next several years.

Parent buy-in

Theobald said it is often difficult to make a change to an education system because par ents have expectations for their child’s school experience based on their own, but education is moving forward and parents’ support is need ed.

“The biggest push is helping parents un derstand that we're really helping them see where students are relative to these specific skills and trying to get away from that histori cal context of what a grade means,” Theobald said. “And that's a big challenge. It's really hard for everyone that has a stake in education to move away from what an A has meant for hun dreds of years.”

Pilot school administrators and teachers have invested time and resources to educate parents about the benefits of SBG through

newsletters, Back to School nights and infor mative videos.

“We want them to be our partners and we don't want there to be any misunderstanding or misconception, so we'll work with them,” Theobald said. “We're just going to help them ease into it so that we do the best thing for kids and it's always best when we have parents on board.”

What do grades mean?

The biggest hurdle has been changing peoples’ mindset of what a grade is. Theobald said the problem with letter grades is they don’t necessarily reflect what a student knows. They reflect that an assignment was turned in, but the complexity of the assignment can vary from teacher to teacher and what the student actually learned from it is not accurately mea sured.

On the SBG scale, students receive a number grade.

1- below proficient

2- approaching proficient

3- proficient

4- highly proficient

The goal is for students to earn a 3 for each grade level standard by the end of the year, which means the student is independent ly proficient in the skills needed to progress to the next grade. Parents must adjust to seeing 1s and 2s on their child’s early progress reports, said Trimmell.

“At eight weeks into school, most children should be at around a 2,” he said. “This is a year long standard. They're right where they're supposed to be at this point in the school year.”

With the SBG grading system, parents and students can access accurate data of how their student is doing at any time. Pilot schools are using an adapted format on Skyward to re cord students’ progress. Teachers also compile an “evidence of learning” folder, portfolio or data notebook for each child containing their most recent schoolwork and assessments.

Students at Oak Leaf and Riverside take their data notebooks home once a month so parents can see their work and a current list of skills within a standard, called a learning scale or vision for growth, which their child has passed off or is working on.

“In the data notebook, they will see the actual assessments themselves so they can see where their child is at and can see what they're missing really, really clearly,” Riverside teach er Lydia Theobald said.

At Oak Leaf Elementary, Principal Ronna Hoffman said students will lead parent teacher conferences, using their data notebooks as evi dence for their grades.

“The child will be able to explain to the parents, ‘Here's where I am and this is why and this is what I need to do for my next step,’” she said. “It's going to empower our students,

which is the most important thing.”

Parent teacher conferences will be held at midterm, to provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss a student’s progress toward mastery and how they can help them continue to improve over the following weeks before a report card is generated.

“The intention is to keep those parent teacher conferences really focused on that cel ebration of progress and talking about where they are in the journey and what can we do to support this kid,” Todd Theobald said. “We want to give really accurate information to parents so that they know how their kids are doing relative to the standards that we selected. These are really important skills that they need to be successful in the coming years of their ed ucation. And even though that may come with a little bit of a pain point for parents, because they want their kids to be at the top of the scale, we just want to make sure that it represents a real, accurate measure of how they're doing. So then from there, we can pinpoint instruction and really make sure that we're meeting the needs of all these kids.”

Instead of quarterly report cards, SBG schools will generate two report cards each year, one at the end of each semester. The re port cards will be more accurate, reflecting a student’s most recent scores, Hoffman said.

“It's not a bunch of grades that you've av eraged over the grading period,” she said. “It is, as of right now, this is where your child is. And so kids who take longer but get it in the end, they don't have those lower grades that we're averaging in. If they've got it, they’ve got it.”

Students who have learned the skill and are ready for the next step earn a 4.

“The majority of kids should fall within

the three to one,” Theobald said. “The four is really for those kids who, for maybe one sub ject or one standard, are exceeding the stan dard. We need to design our curriculum to sup port a kid that's already totally mastered that skill and provide the next step, that enrichment, that push for these kids that are already there.”

He said parents need to abandon the idea that their kids should never get anything less than an A or the top of the scale.

“We just need them to look at where their child is at, celebrate the growth that they've made, and then keep moving forward,” he said. “And that's what our teachers are committed to.”

Teacher buy-in

Hoffman, who has been on the district’s report card committee for years, has been a proponent of the transition to SBG. She had already started implementing aspects of SBG when she was principal at Riverside Elemen tary, so the staff was prepared to participate in the pilot.

As the principal at Oak Leaf Elementary, which opened this fall, Hoffman had the op portunity to select her staff from among teach ers who were open to working with the new grading system.

“I needed teachers who were on board to do standards-based grading, which is a differ ent mindset than what we've done before and so there's a lot of work involved in that. I hired people who have that mindset because it really is the best for kids,” she said.

Transitioning to a new grading system has meant a lot of work for teachers.

“These teachers are really dedicated to breaking down those standards and skills, mapping out that learning journey, using good

Letter-based grades are being replaced with standards-based grading, which uses a 1-4 scale. (Stock photo)

Riverton Police Department holds a grand opening for a new substation

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

Aribbon cutting at Mountain View Village on Sept. 15, celebrated the opening of a Riverton Police Department substation that will serve residents on the city’s west side. Located at 13303 Teal Ridge Way, property for the substation was donated to Riverton by CenterCal Properties, the owner of Mountain View Village.

Riverton City elected officials joined CenterCal representatives and members of the RPD at the event where attendees could see a SWAT display, meet K9 Titan, pick up a police coloring book and crayons and visit an RPD motorcycle display. Free cinnamon rolls were provided to the public by Wanna Cinn at Mountain View Village.

“It’s going to be a huge benefit to Riv erton and really enhance the police services we can deliver to the west side of the city,” Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs said. “We’re very grateful that the executive team at CenterCal Development have agreed to do this and make this possible for us.” l

assessment that'll pinpoint exactly where the kid is at, and then being able to apply the right intervention or instruction to move them to the next step and then the next step and the next step,” Theobald said. He said feedback from teachers is that they are seeing benefits that justify the extra work and that they are feeling more professional and empowered with more confidence

Lydia Theobald, who teaches second grade (and is not related to Todd Theobald), started her teaching career at Riverside Ele mentary three years ago, when they were just beginning to transition to SBG. She said break ing down standards for SBG learning scales helped her focus her lesson plans to more ef fectively teach the standards. Her grade level team of teachers collaborated to establish what students need to do to progress from a 1 to a 2 and a 2 to a 3, so that grading is consistent no matter which teacher a child has.

She likes SBG because it makes the learn ing growth clear to parents, students and teach ers. She said it empowers students and is better for their self-esteem.

“Students are learning at the rate that they're learning and we're excited for them— there's no pressure to be anywhere,” she said. “It feels like it's kind of taking the shame out of it, where they’re not trying to get to the highest grade or to get all the points they can get. They see their growth on a continuum and they're excited about making progress.”

She said even if a student is scoring below proficiency, because the standards are broken down into small steps, they are still able to track growth.

“We're trying to express to students that it's about growth, it's about learning, it's not about ‘you have to be here,’” Trimmell said.

Mayor Trent Steggs

“Wherever you started, we want to see growth, a year's worth of growth or more.”

Todd Theobald believes SBG is what is best for students, teachers and parents.

“We're going to raise our achievement scores,” he said. “We're going to have kids that are better prepared for middle school, high school and then college. It can be really amaz

2:38:03

ing. It's slow and steady work, but we're com mitted to it.” l

“It’s going to be a huge benefit to Riverton and really enhance the police services we can deliver to the west side of the city.”

From left, CentralCal Project Manager Lance Blackwood and regional VP David Anderson, join Riverton City Councilmember Tish Buroker, Police Chief Don Hutson, Mayor Trent Staggs, councilmember Claude Wells and councilmember Sheldon Stewart at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Riverton Police Depart ment substation in Mountain View Village at 13303 Teal Ridge Way. (Brook Bowen/Riverton City)

Nature’s Virus Killer

Copper can stop a virus before it starts

By Priscilla Schnarr www.copperzap.com

Scientists have discovered a natural way to kill germs fast.

Now thousands of people are using it against viruses and bacteria that cause illness.

Colds and many other illnesses start when viruses get in your nose and multiply. If you don’t stop them early, they spread and cause misery.

Hundreds of studies confirm copper kills viruses and bacteria almost instantly just by touch.

That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians used copper to purify water and heal wounds. They didn’t know about viruses and bacteria, but now we do.

“The antimicrobial activity of copper is well established.” National Institutes of Health.

Scientists say copper’s high conductance disrupts the electrical balance in a microbe cell and destroys it in seconds.

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The strong scientific evidence gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. He made a smooth copper probe with a tip to fit in the bottom of the nostril, where viruses collect.

When he felt a tickle in his nose like a cold about to start, he rubbed the copper gently in his nose for 60 seconds.

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RIVERTON REVIEW

MAYOR’S MESSAGE

Enhancing Our Sense of Community

By Mayor Trent Staggs

When we surveyed residents in December of 2021, the number one word used to answer the question “Please describe the best aspects of living in Riverton:” was community. This didn’t come as a surprise, but really confirmed what we’ve known: people love living in Riverton because of our strong sense of community. As a result of this finding, elected officials made “sense of community” a core strategic theme in our work for the years ahead.

Over the course of the last year, we have begun and completed a signage project to help us further enhance the sense of community in Riverton. This includes differentiating ourselves from our neighboring cities so both residents and visitors know when they are in Riverton. Though we have much in common with our neighbors, we are a distinct, special community. The project included 1) updated monument signage at major city entrances, 2) city boundary signage and 3) wayfinding signage in the Riverton Town Center.

Monument Signage

We have replaced four major monument signs at the following locations: 12600 S east entrance,

12600 S west entrance, 13400 S west entrance and on 13400 S near Mountain View Village. We have also installed minor monument signs at three new locations: north and south entrances on Mountain View Corridor and the west entrance of 13200 S. The signs feature the Riverton logo on a light gray background with a distinct slanted edge at the top, brick at the bottom and the word “welcome” in blue on the side. These signs combine a modern, clean look at the top with a classic look at the bottom, a look and feel representative of our community. A special feature at three of the signs is the installation of a flagpole with a large American flag near the sign. The majority of Riverton residents are patriotic

and appreciate the freedom and liberty this country provides us. The installation of the American flag at these locations is a symbol of our community’s patriotism.

City Boundary Signage Differentiating ourselves from our neighboring cities was our priority as we installed basic aluminum signs at entrances to our community. This includes 16 larger signs at major entrances to Riverton and 45 smaller signs at neighborhood entrances. Though very basic, these signs are important. Perhaps too often, along the edges, corners end peninsulas of our city, it’s easy for our community to lose our identity for both residents and neighbors. These signs will be a

small reminder that, regardless of how residents or visitors enter our city, we want them to know they are in Riverton. These signs have a similar look to our monument signs and wayfinding, including a distinct slanted edge at the top.

Wayfinding Signage

Wayfinding signs have been installed in the Riverton Town Center to provide directions to major public facilities and amenities. In total, 20 signs were installed with five of them being double-sided. These signs are found near Riverton City Hall, near Riverton City Park, along Park Avenue, along 1300 W and 12400 S. These signs have a similar look to our new monument signs and boundary signs.

Official Newsletter of the Riverton, Utah City Government

City Boundary Signage

Monument Signage & Flag Wayfinding Signage

MAYOR

Trent Staggs tstaggs@rivertonutah.gov 801-208-3129

CITY COUNCIL

Sheldon Stewart - District 1 sstewart@rivertonutah.gov 801-953-5672

Troy McDougal - District 2 tmcdougal@rivertonutah.gov 801-931-9933

Tawnee McCay - District 3 tmccay@rivertonutah.gov 801-634-7692

Tish Buroker - District 4 tburoker@rivertonutah.gov 801-673-6103

Claude Wells - District 5 cwells@rivertonutah.gov 801-875-0116

CITY MANAGER

David R. Brickey citymanager@rivertonutah.gov 801-208-3129

CITY HALL 801-254-0704

Addressing Common Questions and Issues COUNCIL MESSAGE

By Councilmember Claude Wells

boat with other neighbors, so they are reluctant to file a formal complaint with a case number.

whether the questions are directed to Riverton City staff or an email, text or a phone call to the applicable councilmember.

With the secondary water being shut down earlier this season, many residents have asked why they pay for secondary water 12 months of the year when we only use the water during spring, summer and early fall. This structure is like the equal pay program offered by utility companies. Riverton City maintains the system year around. A lot of the bigger maintenance occurs during the winter months when the water is turned off so they can rebuild pumps and service the infrastructure while water is not flowing.

Many of the issues we work on turn out to be private property issues between neighbors for ordinance vi olations that are difficult to enforce, especially if it is regarding a back yard where most people don’t see it. Neighbors don’t want to rock the

Vehicles that are not registered or are expired should be in driveways, not parked out on the street. That is a state law, but enforcement of a ticket is difficult under our current ordinances on the books. Police don’t like to strictly enforce those ordinances because they often get dismissed by the judge for various reasons. It ties up the courts that are already at capacity. Nobody likes when someone parks in front of their house. Under the law anyone can park on a public street in front of your house since it is a public road. I recommend neighbors be courteous and park within their own property borders to help avoid parking problems.

The Riverton City Council will be holding work sessions where we will discuss ordinance enforcement that is more proactive than complaint driven enforcement. This is a staff ing issue that will also be addressed for the next budget session. Our goal is to encourage residents to comply and bring properties up to code, which is a benefit to both neighbors and property values. It should not take a complaint to get a neighbor to remove weeds that can become a fire hazard that jeopardiz

es surrounding properties. Neigh bors watching out for neighbors is the best solution. Some people cannot physically take care of their properties without help. Some can not afford to hire it out.

I challenge each resident to take pride in their properties and be better neighbors in their community. Not everyone can or wants a man icured property, but no one wants to live next door to a dilapidated property either. We can all do better and see what we can do to help our neighbors. The idea of enforcement is not to be heavy handed, but to find a balance where we love where we live and can live in harmony with our neighbors. We want to be able to enforce ordinances on properties that are beyond unreasonable. It seems every neighborhood has at least one of those types of proper ties.

Riverton City has an app called Riverton Connect where you can report a problem. You can also report problems online at riverto nutah.gov/report. Reports includes animal control issues, parking, weed enforcement, and other code violations. It is easy to use, and you can attach pictures for the city to see. We encourage residents to use this service to help keep our city beautiful.

Help Keep Creeks and Rivers Clean and Prevent Flooding

Falling leaves are often trapped by roadway

up block ing gutters

storm drains,

of flood

Leaves

also end up draining into canals, creeks and the Jordan River, often resulting in smelly water and de pleting the oxygen level in the wa ter, making it harmful to fish. Help

us to prevent flooding and to keep our creeks and rivers clean by removing leaves from your property, sidewalk and gutters by regularly mulching or bagging.

I want to address some common questions or issues we are asked almost every day,

PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE

Street Parking Ordinances

By Chief Don Hutson

Parking on public roadways has been a recent topic of discus sion as Riverton City has inves tigated several complaints of residents upset by the number and type of vehicles parked on the road in their neighborhood. These complaints are sometimes directed toward our code enforce ment personnel when it is believed the parked cars are associated with other code violations, such as running a business from a resi dential dwelling or other nuisance type complaints. Other times, the complaint may simply be reported to the police department as a traffic problem and investigated by our traffic units. Regardless of how the investigation is initiated, the city will attempt to address the situation by responding to the area and gather ing facts before taking any action. It is important to know even a parking violator is afforded the same con stitutional protections as any other person who has been accused of a crime. In other words, we can’t simply issue a citation or impound a vehicle based on a complaint which is not corroborated by our own in vestigation. We must independently confirm the illegality of the act and ensure we are issuing the citation to the correct person or impounding

The parking ordinances most frequently violated in our city are parking or leaving any vehicle for 48 or more consecutive hours on any street, and parking from November 1 to March 1 during a snowstorm, or when snow has accumulated in lanes of travel on a city street.

based on sound legal justification.

The parking ordinances most fre quently violated in our city are the following:

10.10.010 (6) (a) It shall be an infraction for any person to park or leave standing on any public road, street, alley or city property any motor vehicle for 48 or more consecutive hours, and any vehi cle so parked or left standing may be impounded or removed by law enforcement.

10.10.050 (1) It shall be unlawful for any person or owner of any vehicle to park a motor vehicle, travel trailer, horse trailer, utility trailer, or other

like vehicle on any street in Riverton City from the date of November 1st of each year until the date of March 1st of the following year during a snowstorm, or when snow has accumulated in lanes of travel on a city street.

Violations of these ordinances occur in our city every day, and we will continue to investigate and enforce these laws when appropriate. That said, it is my hope we can all be a bit more attentive to the disruption parking violations can have on a neighborhood and voluntarily com ply without government intervention. It will make our streets safer and increase our quality of life.

Build an Emergency Kit

Be ready when an emergency hits by building an emergency kit with essential items. See details on how to build a kit at

rivertonutah.gov/preparedness

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH RIVERTON

EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS

n rivertonutah.gov/subscribe

Get the latest city updates, e-newsletters, event information and other news deliv ered right to your inbox.

TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS

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Get emergency alerts and notifications on important city updates on your cell phone 3-4 times per month.

RIVERTON CONNECT APP

n rivertonutah.gov/app

Report a problem, see the city calendar, get directions to parks and city facilities, and find city information right from your mobile device.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

RIVERTON REVIEW

October 1 - 29evenings rivertonutah.gov/monsters

Mondays, Fridays, & Saturdays Riverton City Park, 1452 W 12600 S

Bring the kiddos and come see what kinds of crazy awesome monsters come out after dark in this drive-by display with many different scenes and dozens of cute monsters! $10 per Vehicle.

Monday, October 24 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Riverton City Park, 1452 W 12600 S

Families are invited to dress up in Halloween costumes and come to River ton City Park to participate in several activities and games for the younger kids and a spook alley for the older kids! There will be chances to win or collect prizes and candy. Find details at rivertonutah.gov/halloween

Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 1,600 locations nationwide, including Riverton City Cemetery. Sponsor a $15 wreath to be placed at a veteran’s grave at Riverton City Cemetery in December. Learn more by visiting rivertonutah.gov/wreaths.

Join the Community Christmas Choir

Wreaths Across America QPR Suicide Prevention Training

Trans-Jordan Landfill Disposal Vouchers

Join the community choir to sing at this year’s Christmas Night of Music Concert on Monday, De cember 12, 2022. Practices held weekly in November.

• Sign up online today at: rivertonutah.gov/night-of-music

Sponsor a $15 wreath to be placed at a veteran’s grave at Riverton City Cemetery this December.

• Learn more by visiting: rivertonutah.gov/wreaths

Attend a free QPR suicide preven tion class to learn how to respond to someone in crises. Classes occur monthly, excluding July and December.

• Thursday, October 20, 7 p.m. rivertonutah.gov/qpr

Pick up a free voucher to the Trans-Jordan Landfill at the Utility Billing Office at Riverton City Hall when you begin your fall cleaning.

• Limit of two vouchers per household per year.

Sign up to take Utah Hunter Education. Fall classes will be held on November 2, 4, 5, 9 and 16 from 6-8:30 p.m.

• Register at rivertonutah.gov/ hunter-ed

Utah Hunter Education

arrangements are a deeply personal choice. Preplanning provides you with the time needed to make practical, detailed decisions that reflect your standards, lifestyle, taste and budget. And we assure you and your family that the choices you make will be carried out as planned.

Comcast and the USDB Foundation partner to help unique students

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

erving more than 5,000 students statewide, the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind and USDB’s Educational Support Services provide education and ac cessibility technology that make a real difference in a child’s life.

Comcast, the largest home internet service provider in the country, has provided grant funding to the USDB Ed ucation Foundation so these unique students can have the technological needs vital for their education and growth.

Assistive devices and digital learning provide sight and sound that connect children to the world and improve their overall communication. Use of these assistive devic es gives students a higher chance of success as a confident and independent adult.

“Comcast has been a really great community partner this year,” said Amy Zaharis, USDB Education Founda tion executive director. “They gave us funds that support the students with assisted technology. There’s a lot of awesome technology our students can use that helps them, and they need a lot of different things, and those things are expensive.”

While the state provides funding to cover the basics for the campuses and programs at USDB, sometimes families need help procuring hearing aids, glasses, white canes, magnification devices, unique technology and other assistive devices. With Comcast’s donation to the program, several deaf and hard of hearing students, and children who are blind and visually impaired can get the resources they need.

It is imperative that students have technology and

assistive devices to help bridge the gap caused by their hearing or vision loss.

“If you can believe it or not, hearing aids are not cov ered by insurance,” Zaharis said. “We do assist families with children who are hard of hearing. Hearing aids are really expensive and we help some kids with purchasing those.”

The national grant from Comcast supports digital lit eracy training to help students with the technology. Stu dents who are blind can learn how to access apps and soft ware, plus have access to smart glasses equipped with an HD camera to magnify a computer screen or classroom.

The USDB provides overhead and administrative re sources for the foundation which allows 100% of dona tions to go directly to students.

There are campuses in Salt Lake City, Ogden and Springville, and a classroom in St. George. In addition to the campuses, education for the majority of these unique Utah students is offered by USDB teachers who travel to schools across the state through outreach programs.

“Everyone deserves to have the same advantages and many of the children the foundation supports might not be able to,” said Ioana Platon, Comcast community impact specialist. “They might not be as likely to pursue educa tional or career pursuits they don’t think they can do. With our grant, we help provide tech and assistive devices used to bridge the gap.”

Comcast is focused on accessibility and providing the highest possible experiences for all of its customers. This grant will help students learn how to use the different

technologies and help them live better lives.

For more information about the USDB Foundation, visit www.usdbfoundation.org.

“We love to have community partners and Comcast has been such a great community partner for us this year,” Zaharis said. “It’s great to have community support, just to help our kids with the extra needs they have. We wel come Utah businesses and individuals alike to make dona tions to the foundation.” l

Students at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind receive assistive devices and training through a Comcast community grant. (Courtesy of Todd Keith)

Continued from front page

Nathan Brimhall, a sculptor, focuses his art on tactile images combined with simple words with simple meaning. One such piece called “…and then” takes the grammatical mark, the semicolon, and gives it greater meaning. “The semicolon is used as a sym bol for suicide awareness. It indicates a pause with more to the story. Not the end,” Brimhall explains. “For me, “…and then” represents so many facets of my life. I was successful and then I got divorced and then…etcetara. However, none are more poignant than know

ing those who have come to believe the best option is to no longer be,” he added. He dedi cated this piece to those who have taken their own lives.

Brimhall also created another piece titled “Fragile,” which was a “way for me to pro cess the war in Ukraine,” he said. “It began to mean more to me as mass shootings seemed to be increasing exponentially, the divisiveness of politics, religions, social media, news and opinions becoming overwhelming,” Brimhall added. The title of the piece was inspired by a song from Sting.

Tamara Ward Burnside, a Salt Lake City native who now resides in Riverton, showcases lesser-known landmarks and historical build ings in the Riverton area, such as the Domed Church, which is now the Old Dome Meeting Hall. Burnside is an art educator who taught for Granite School District at Taylorsville High School, Olympus Junior High and as an ele mentary school teacher. She received her bach elor’s degree in Fine Art from Westminster and her Master of Fine Art degree from Brigham Young University. After working in the Granite School District for over a decade as the K-12 Fine Arts Coordinator, Burnside took a posi tion with the Utah State Board of Education as an Art Education Specialist at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program.

“My art depicts a quieter side to life. It shows the quiet stillness of nature, the fresh snowfall, houses, churches and inviting scenes which calm the senses,” Burnside said. “My art seeks to give a personal side to an im personal world. It strips the world of its con frontational nature. During the last 30 years I have worked primarily in watercolor. It is a medium which I enjoy and fits my needs. I love its transparent nature and how it caus es me to think of both positive and negative space. Lately, I have been experimenting with acrylic paints, creating abstracts and realistic works of art,” Burnside added.

Jimmi Toro, an American contemporary painter, has dabbled in several creative fields including music, songwriting and instrumen tals. His art attempts to add balance between

control and chaos, struggle and victory, pri marily focusing on the human element and the emotional connection between individu als. His art is inspired by surrealist artist Joan Miro, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, and Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh.

“As an artist, I am always encountering the unknown when creating, and contending with the unknown when putting my work out there,” Toro said. “Trying all the while to make sense of it. When someone purchases or even views a piece of art, they can invite beauty into their lives, and in effect, open their eyes to something transcendent, mak ing a lasting connection to, and establishing a relationship with, beauty. This relationship can expand out into the world and into other elements of their life as they progress on their path toward a better life,” he added.

Toro’s piece “Vines” depicts a green, leafy vine plant in a dark fuchsia vase. The striking part of this piece, upon closer in spection, is that the sections that seem to be cracked like an old canvas are intentional drips and trails of paint.

Local Riverton artist Shelly Cluff fo cuses on nature for her paintings, creating life-like images of flowers and vibrant foli age. The self-taught artist has been painting for nearly 10 years and was recently featured in the 2021 Salt Lake Community College President’s Art Show. She teaches watercolor classes locally at Flowerstone Art and Frame.

“I am constantly inspired by the shapes and colors of nature. I love capturing the joy

that comes from looking at a beautiful flower or a blue sky and green trees. I love to paint with loose and intuitive brush strokes to keep my art practice a place of freedom and rejuve nation,” Cluff said.

The display features an impressive array of wildlife photography from photographer Eric Peterson. Peterson’s interest in wildlife photography began as a kid, growing up in the Redwoods of Northern California. He eventu ally moved to Utah where he was employed at Hogle Zoo. While there, he would support and bring attention to wildlife of all sizes, even moving to India to help rescue elephants from the streets, and supporting birds of prey in Utah. A camera, gifted to him by his moth er, would shift his focus to capturing images

of the animals that so enticed him. His work shows the importance of wildlife conservation for the next generation of wildlife admirers.

“Wildlife has played a major role in my life, so wildlife conservation was an easy con cept for me to embrace. Wildlife photography is as much about showcasing the beauty of nature as getting a great shot. If one of my photos encourages someone to want to save and preserve wildlife, then my photo has done its job. After seeing my images, I would en courage everyone to step outside, open their eyes and ears to the world around you. It will change your life forever,” Peterson said.

Similar to Peterson’s photography, wild life artist P. Craig Ellertson has used the me diums of colored pencils, pan pastels, scratch boards and acrylic paintings for his art. After a quick stint in design and commercial art in the advertising industry, Ellertson decided that didn’t satisfy his passion for fine art.

Originally starting with colored pencils, Ellertson be gan drawing cartoon charac ters at a young age and wild life pictures from art books. He then experimented with several different mediums and found his preferred me dium is professional-grade colored pencils.

Dustin Smith, a 19-yearold artist from Riverton grad

Mathnasium Transforms

uated with an enhanced high school diploma from Riverton High School in fine arts in 2021. His work has been featured in sever al art shows during the past couple of years. Smith considers himself to be an American Realist artist who experiments in different styles, techniques and mediums.

“My art reflects America, both present and past. I like to bring new life into old and new subjects in my art,” Smith said. He cred its his inspiration for art to his great-grand mother, Marilyn Rose Riddle and his greatgreat grandmother, Joy Slater.

“As for motivation I would have to say my family, my grandmothers particularly, unknowingly had an incredible effect on me. I believe with my whole heart that without either of their influences, I would not be an artist myself,” Smith said. “If I had to define what art truly was to me, I’d say that art is a way to make sense of a world that doesn’t make sense.” l

LEADING THE WAY

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Nathan Brimhall metallic art is displayed in the Riverton Old Dome Meeting Hall on Monday, Aug. 29. (Brook Bowen/Riverton City)

Community members peruse art displays in the Riverton Old Dome Meeting Hall on Monday, Aug. 29. (Brook Bowen/Riverton City)

Mountain West Chamber of Commerce

Lone Peak Hospital Emergency celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting, tours and party on September 22. They will officially start taking patients in the middle of October. It will be a welcome addition to Herriman and the surrounding communities. Mayor Palmer gave a warm welcome to Brian Lines, CEO of Lone Peak Hospital at the grand opening.

The Mountain West Chamber held its annual Knight of Heroes award night with a luau on September 16.

They honored the following:

• Bluffdale Fire Department: Captain Daren, Engineer Toby Wynee, Paramedic Ryan Heiner, Firefighter Dakota Roberts

• Small Business of the Year: Q Nails Salon in Herriman

• Herriman Police Department: Officer Ryan Hoyne and Officer Chad Miles

• Businessman of the Year: Todd Woods owner of Icerberg in Riverton

• Riverton Hospital: Jennifer Goodman, RN

• Businesswoman of the Year: Jentri Pitcher owner of The Hive Dance in Bluffdale

• Military: Brigadier General Darwin L. Craig from Camp Williams

• Large Business of the Year: Redemption Bar and Grill in Herriman

• Unified Fire Authority: Captain Matt Weygandt, PM Brad Jewett, Engineer Mike Jemmett, Captain Chris Wilcox, Engineer Dusty Smith, PM PJ Goetz, Captain Gary Limberg,

FF Matt Skokos, PM Wade Winder,

FF Jonah Capelle, PM Dan Anderson,

FF Justin Austin, PM Pete Young, FF Ben Porter

• Volunteer of the Year: Stephanie Isiko

• Bluffdale Police Department: Officer Landon Braden

• Community Champion: Officer Ash

• Jordan Valley Medical Center: Krista Smith Bluffdale City celebrated the opening of the bridge on Porter Rockwell Blvd.

It will significantly help the traffic in Bluffdale.

Sustaining Partners: Riverton Hospital • Herriman City Bluffdale City • City Journals Hello Story

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here are lots of people in this world who scare me, like toddlers, Christian nationalists and the barista who always compliments my shirt, even when I’m wearing a blood-stained hoodie.

But dentists! Dentists are a higher level of fear. I'm sure they get tired of being compared to the sadistic den tist in “Little Shop of Horrors” but if the tooth fits…

My dentophobia is rooted in an experience when I was 5 where many of the details are still slumbering in my subconscious, waiting to burst when I’m least expecting it. The only thing I remember was the dentist was not my friend.

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter

I start ed dreading my annual checkup.

Mom would write our dentist’s name on the bathroom mirror in red lipstick, so she’d remember to schedule the appointment. But every time she wrote it, I’d take a wet washcloth and wipe it off. I’m sure she never noticed the smeared lipstick or the dripping-wet mirror.

Now that I’m older, I should be braver, right? I should be grateful I don’t have a medieval dentist who also works as the village butcher, barber and blacksmith. I’m lucky I’m not Tom Hanks in “Castaway” when he uses an ice skate to knock out his abscessed molar. Modern dentistry

It’s like pulling teeth

is a privilege.

My rational mind knows all those things, but I’ve never left a dentist’s office thinking, “Hmmm. That wasn’t too bad.”

I recently had my first root canal, which didn’t ease my fears. At all. I was upfront with the endodontist and told him I didn’t like him very much.

“I understand,” he said.

“No, really. I loathe you,” I said.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

We went from there. He offered me nitrous oxide be cause if I’m going to be root-canaled, I’d rather be float ing somewhere near Venus. After I was nice and drifty, he told me I’d feel a little pinch as he numbed my mouth. Then he proceeded to nail my face to the chair while the nurse handed him a Black & Decker drill. He laughed ma niacally, donned a hockey mask ala Jason Voorhees and started excavating my back teeth.

At least, that’s how I remember it.

After the root canal, I had to make an appointment with my dentist to put a crown on my tooth. I called the receptionist who said I could schedule time on Sept. 12 at 2:30 a.m. or wait until June 2023. Typical.

I don’t know why I’m still terrified of all things den tal. The smell of a dentist’s office makes my stomach roll. The sound of a drill makes my jaw clench, which makes it really hard to work on my teeth. When it was time for my crown appointment, I sat in my car for a good 15 minutes, giving myself a pep talk.

“You’ve got this,” I said. “You’re a big girl.”

“Nope. I’m going to Starbucks,” I responded.

“No, you’re not. You’re going to act like an adult

and walk in that office.”

I stuck my tongue out at myself and went to get my crown. Not a cool crown like a Dutch sapphire tiara but a porcelain crown that I’m afraid to chew with. I’m pretty sure my dentist has a hook for a hand and he proceeded to stab my gums repeatedly, probably just for the fun of it. And then it was over. For now.

I’d rather face a zillion zombies, a multitude of mum mies, a van full of vampires or a ton of toddlers before seeing the dentist again. He’s the scariest monster I know.

801-918-8843

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

Matthew