Sandy Journal | December 2022

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

E very minute counts when roads are covered with ice and snow. But outdated facilities de lay the deployment of Sandy’s snow plow fleet.

In January 2017, a four-alarm fire burned down more than half of the Sandy City Public Works building at 8775 S. 700 West. Even before the fire, the building was falling apart.

The facility was built in the late 1970s, when the population of Sandy was around 40,000. Sandy now has more than 95,000 residents, which means more fire engines and police vehicles to protect residents and property, more parks to mow, and more roads to plow.

Before a snow plow can begin to clear streets, it must be warmed and filled with ice-melting ma terials.

“If they’re sitting outside and we put the salt or sand on the truck, it freezes and clumps and can’t get out through the spreading machine,” said Shane Pace, Sandy’s chief administrative officer. “So these vehicles have to be indoors.”

During the winter, there is room to store 12 snow plows—half of the fleet—indoors. When needed, the large vehicles are slowly maneuvered out of the garage one by one, then the rest of the plows are driven inside and prepared.

“The drivers lose time loading and unloading the barn,” said Michael Gladbach, director of San dy City Public Works. “If we had the fleet facility built out, the guys could just come in and drive away. They would all be out on the road an hour earlier.”

Gladbach had been on the job for just four weeks when the fire happened.

“I got the call at two in the morning,” Glad bach said. “There was an electrical fire in a dump truck. We lost half the fleet.”

New administration offices were completed in May 2019. Displayed in the lobby like art is a large chunk of melted metal recovered from the dump truck that ignited the blaze six years ago. The clean, light-filled rooms are a stark contrast to the remaining buildings where critical work takes place.

Smoke-stained insulation is still visible in

Continued page 4

The Sandy City Public Works maintenance facility, where city-owned vehicles are repaired, is itself in disrepair. (Sar ah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

“Dozens of doctors told me that there was nothing more that

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

the ceiling of the garage where mechanics repair and tune up ev erything from humble lawnmow ers to shiny new fire engines. The building is not large enough for all the vehicles needing work, so the ones queued up to be repaired are parked outdoors.

“The ladder truck is too big to be worked on inside,” Glad bach said. “The mechanics have to work on it outside. They set up a tent for shade.”

Even vehicles parked inside the fleet maintenance building are vulnerable to rodents that can cause extensive damage to electri cal systems.

“You can see where we’ve tried to fill in the cracks where mice get through,” Gladbach said. “Mice, rats and rock chucks (yel low-bellied marmots) live in the walls.”

The fleet shop has no fire suppression system, the lock er rooms and rest rooms are not heated or air conditioned, and the area where parts are stored floods during heavy rain.

The other work spaces are also less than ideal. The custom er service officer works out of a refurbished tool shed, though Gladbach reports that she is com fortable and enjoys the space. The sign shop occupies an old garage. All of the electronic equipment stays indoors, but templates and surplus signs are stored outside because there’s no room for them inside.

“After the fire, a space re quirements analysis was conduct ed to assess and determine needs,” Gladbach said. “The goal was to

right size the facility for existing staff, equipment and tasks, as well as allow for minimal future growth.”

The new Public Works cam pus is completely designed with two more phases needing to be constructed. Phase 1 (offices, conference rooms, locker rooms, storage and a break room) has been built, as well as a new fuel station that became operational in November. Phase 2 will replace the smoke-damaged fleet main tenance garage, and Phase 3 will build storage for vehicles like the snow plows and house the sign shop.

In October, the Sandy City Council allocated $7 million to build Phase 2 of the Public Works facility, $1 million to design Fire Station 31, and $3 million to de sign Alta Canyon Sports Center.

The city currently has access to approximately $17 million for capital projects: around $8 million in cash and $9 million that will be raised by selling city-owned prop erties.

Phase 3 of Public Works will cost around $12 million, though that might go up if construction is significantly delayed. In the mean time, storing vehicles outdoors costs the city up to $32,000 each year in lost productivity, increased idle time and other maintenance costs, according to Gladbach.

Rebuilding Fire Station 31 will cost another $12 to $13 mil lion, and the council has narrowed down two possible designs for a new Alta Canyon, each costing up to $40 million or more to con struct.

Could the city rebuild Public

Works and the fire station right now with the cash on hand?

“We could come close be cause if we build the fire station we’ll still have a chunk of mon ey,” Pace said. “We would prob ably recommend turning pub lic works into four phases and building Phase 3 with the money we have just so we can get more vehicles in storage. And then at a future date do a fourth phase of Public Works.”

“Everyone is united in want ing to replace all three facilities,”

Pace continued. “What’s debated is when to fund them and how to fund them. The mayor does fa vor constructing the fire station and Public Works with existing funds and have the citizens vote next November on a bond for Alta Canyon.”

In order to complete all three projects, the city will need to take on some type of bond. Of the three, with Alta Canyon there is an option to sell naming rights and apply for Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) funds.

“Some council members would prefer to do a general obli gation bond, which means it goes to a vote, on the fire station,” Pace said. “And take the cash on hand and put it toward Alta Canyon Sports Center. I support the may or’s philosophy that public safety should be the first priority and that’s where the existing funds should go.”

“In the end,” he added, “the city council will allocate money toward where they feel it should go.” l

SANDY CITY TEAM

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The current Sandy City Public Works fleet storage facility only has room to store half of Sandy’s snow plows at a time. (Sarah Morton Taggart/City Journals)

Homeowner insurance premiums should go down slightly, thanks to Sandy City Fire Department’s efforts

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

With so many costs going up, Sandy residents can look forward to one thing going down: their homeowners insurance.

Sandy City was recently granted a Class 2 rating under the Insurance Services Office’s (ISO) Public Protection Clas sification (PPC). For several years, Sandy has been a Class 3 city, which was still pretty good considering that the scale ranges from one to 10, with one being the best.

Most insurance companies use the PPC to help calculate insurance premiums for residential, commercial and industrial properties.

“When you go from a three to a two, or a two to a one or really any jump, that represents a 3% to 5% savings on insurance for the homeowners,” said Deputy Chief Ryan McConaghie when he presented the PPC Summary Report to the Sandy City Council on Oct. 25. “It is a substantial savings to the citizens.”

According to the ISO website, Class 1 generally represents a community with superior fire protection for property. The PPC is a standardized, nationwide system that helps fire departments plan and budget for facilities, equipment and training. Lowered insurance premiums provide an incentive to communities for choosing to improve their firefighting services.

In the recent assessment, Sandy’s fire department scored 85.8 out of 105.5 possible points in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). This represents an improvement of more than 5 points since the last assessment.

The FSRS looks at three general categories: emergency communications, fire department (including operations and staffing) and available water supply. Sandy scored well in emer gency communications, with 9.91 out of 10 possible points, and having sufficient water supply for fire suppression, with 38.67

out of 40 possible points.

There was room to improve in the fire department category with 36.72 out of 50 possible points. The most points were lost in the deployment analysis and company personnel sections.

Though the PPC rating likely won’t be reevaluated until 2027, many adjustments are already being made.

“This process that we went through was done prior to au thorization that we were given by Mayor Zoltanski to move to 3/2 staffing,” McConaghie said. “We have, even since this pro cess, gained an additional point and a half for the additional staff that we have started using. Another one was credit for training where we had a couple of points that we could improve on…. You can see how a point here, a half a point there, that over time can really add up to where we can make up that ground to get 90 points and hit that Class 1 status.”

Brian Larson, who works for ISO, was on hand to answer questions. He explained that in order to receive the maximum credit for staffing, a community would need an engine company and ladder company in the same station.

“Station 31 is being designed with that in mind,” McCo naghie said, referring to a fire station that will be rebuilt before the next ISO assessment.

In 2020, the majority of communities across America were given a Class 5 rating. Less than 1% of communities were rated Class 1. Currently, Salt Lake City and South Salt Lake are the only cities in Utah with Class 1 designations.

“This a huge deal for the city,” said councilmember Zach Robinson. “I want to commend the department, given all the challenges that have been going on lately. Going from three to two is a big, big deal. And I’m encouraged that we’ll be a one soon. We should plaster that on everything.”

McConaghie also presented the department’s strategic plan, which included a review of the planning process and timeline for implementation.

Fire Chief Bruce Cline also provided information about a fire department staff compensation survey being conducted and provided an update on the current staffing levels. Cline antici pates filling eight currently vacant positions by May 2023.

“I also want to thank the crews that did a big part of this,” Cline said. “Flowing the hydrants every year, doing the training every year, doing the business inspections every year. It’s our crews out there doing the everyday work so that the number is going down.” l

Quail Hollow Elementary students launch third high-altitude balloon, reach top altitude

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Their first launch was in 2018, then in 2019. This year, Quail Hollow launched its third high-altitude balloon.

“It started as a branch of our robotics team I coached, but now it’s an opportunity to spark an interest in STEM in the students and in their parents,” said Spencer Clegg, a parent who oversees the activity.

The group met for a few weeks this fall where they learned about the principles of at mosphere to what it’s like in space before build ing a payload in a Styrofoam box, with GPS trackers inside.

“We usually attach several GoPros and 360 (degree) cameras so we can see where it travels before we recover it,” Clegg said. “Students are learning how sound doesn't travel in space, how it's cold up there and why it's cold. Each year, we mix it up a little bit teaching new principles and how those apply to this weather balloon.”

The first year, Clegg said the group was excited to figure out how to launch something in space.

“The second time we used bigger balloons to get a bit higher. We used 360 (degree) cam eras for the first time to capture our footage,” he said.

This year, the group had a different chal lenge since there is a shortage of helium.

“I was on a waitlist for several months and just never got helium. We switched to hydro gen, which has its drawbacks that it's potentially

more dangerous. So, we had more safety pre cautions this year,” he said.

Clegg said because hydrogen is a lot light er, it has a higher performance.

“The big difference is when hydrogen is mixed with the right amount of oxygen, it is very explosive. We're using pure hydrogen and even when it's in a latex weather balloon; there's still a risk. However, it’s so light that once it does pop, the hydrogen just goes up in the at mosphere and disperses very quickly,” he said. “But to be safe, we didn't have any kids near the balloon, adults wore electrostatic smocks, all the equipment was grounded, and we kept all electronics away. We especially followed the National Weather Service's protocols for safety with hydrogen.”

With the lighter hydrogen, the group of about 30 Quail Hollow students reached their highest elevation at 108,000 feet.

“We're just incrementally improving things. We used newer radios this year that had higher output power, so it's a little bit easier to track,” Clegg said.

This year, the group traveled to Tabiona, northwest of Duchesne, where weather condi tions were best for the launch.

“We run through these mathematical mod els that can predict based on the current weath er, what those will look like. As we get closer to the launch day, that weather model becomes more accurate,” he said, adding that they pre

fer a more rural location, away from mountain ranges.

The launch was livestreamed to their class mates back at school.

Once launched, the group tracks the high-altitude balloon for 90 minutes before re uniting with it. A few weeks after returning to school, they gather to watch a video of the ex perience, look at photos through a virtual reality headset, and recap what they learned.

They also received a button with their name on it that traveled in the payload as a “sou venir” of the experience.

“It’s been fun for kids to discover an inter est in STEM and with this, they're seeing what it's all about and are getting a taste for science, space and other parts of STEM,” Clegg said. “I hope they come away with gaining a desire to pursue STEM as a passion or as a career. I think also, they realize space isn't that far away. It's like driving from here to Ogden. One hundred eight thousand feet isn't that far, it is somewhat hard to get there and they’re learning that they can figure out how to do that, how to do some thing that’s hard.” l

Changes in ways the Sandy Fire Department conducts and records personnel training will help improve its safety rating. (Courtesy the Sandy Fire Department)

Quail Hollow students launched a high-altitude balloon near Tabiona, northwest of Duchesne, where it reached an elevation of 108,000 feet. (Photo courtesy of Quail Hollow Elementary)

Pay attention and slow down, say school crossing guards to drivers

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Green and black ribbons are tied on posts at the intersection of an Orem neighborhood in memory of an 11-year-old who was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a motorist.

Harm to a child is a constant fear amongst school crossing guards as they say there has been an increase of motorists who speed through school zones and crosswalks, or be come distracted and aren’t being cautious to pedestrians, or may have forgotten that they need to stop until everyone is out of the cross walk.

The issue isn’t just in Orem.

Last spring, 11-year crossing guard Lo rena Marcotte stood in the intersection of Isla Daybreak and Top View near Eastlake Elemen tary in South Jordan when her crossing guard partner Heidi Cook alerted her to a car entering the intersection that was “rolling right through the stop, heading right toward the girl.”

“She didn’t see us, despite wearing big yellow jackets, having orange cones set up and having our stop signs up. She was just zoned out,” Marcotte said.

After jumping out in front of the car, the driver “slammed on her brakes. Thankfully, she wasn’t going that fast,” Marcotte said.

Thanks to their quick actions, the girl safely made it to school and the mother wrote the crossing guards a note of appreciation, said DeAnn Bland, South Jordan Police Depart ment crossing guard supervisor.

Bland said it’s important for motorists to be aware of their surroundings, especially in school zones.

“The longest drivers ever tend to stop is just a matter of seconds,” she said. “A few seconds matter. It meant all the world to that mother and her daughter.”

Earlier this school year, on the afternoon on Sept. 22, 10-year crossing guard Lisa Van Wagenen was crossing a fifth-grade student at the intersection of 1000 East and 11000 South in Sandy when a motorist entered the cross walk while both VanWagenen and the student were in the crosswalk.

“I was out there and I’m like, ‘Are you really going to hit me?’” VanWagenen said. “Then the driver saw me and stopped, and I proceeded to make sure the kid got across safely. I had told the kid, ‘Stay, wait’ because I didn’t know if the car was going to stop or not.”

A week earlier, VanWagenen’s crossing guard partner, Stacey Sierer had a near-miss in the same intersection when a car entered the in tersection after she crossed a second-grade stu dent who was on his way to Altara Elementary.

“He was still in the intersection and…a car came and turned left and I was still standing out there with my stop sign,” she said. “There was another that morning who was going straight through. I had to stop him literally with my stop sign and say, ‘You can't go through

here while I'm in the middle of the crosswalk.’ He just kind of shrugged.”

Sierer admits that crossing students with traffic is concerning.

“It gives me anxiety. When there are kids around, I'm watching, but otherwise I look away,” said the second-year crossing guard. “I love the kids and the hours works with my schedule. It’s a fun job except for worrying about the traffic and if you’ll survive.”

While VanWagenen said, “most are pretty respectful,” she estimates at least three or four motorists attempt or drive through the intersec tion every day while they are crossing elemen tary schools.

She said that often drivers don’t wait their turn and will proceed with the car in front of them.

“Everybody's in such a hurry and they speed up to stop so they can say ‘I was here first’ so they can proceed,” VanWagenen said. “They should just set their alarm five minutes earlier or deal with being late. We all need to be observant and find patience to make sure these kids are safe.”

Sandy crossing guard supervisor Janice Parker said that throughout Sandy there have been such incidents, including having had two of her crossing guards hit by drivers in the past five years.

“We get lots of speeders; one car was going 50 mph in a 20 mph speed zone,” she said about a motorist recently driving by an el ementary school. “We have issues everywhere; there's really not a specific area that is worse than another one.”

The crossing guards say that it gets “scary” when motorists proceed or turn into the intersection before they’re out of it and that’s when they try to educate them.

“I'll say, ‘I'm still holding the stop sign. I'm still in the intersection’ and try to remind them. I try to be nice and not try to be scold ing, but it’s hard when they try to run me over,” VanWagenen said. “I’m here because I love these kids and want to keep them safe.”

In a school crossing walk—the one com monly referred to as a “ladder,” “zebra stripes” or “piano keys”—all pedestrians and the cross ing guard need to be safely on the sidewalk be fore a motorist can enter it. These, and reduced school speed zone beacons, are determined through safe-walking routes which meet reg ulations, Sandy City Transportation Engineer Britney Ward said.

“The intersection at 10th East and 11000 South is really busy,” she said. “It's a high traf fic area with a lot of trips, a lot of vehicles and a lot of students there. There's just a lot going on there.”

Even with safety precautions in place, Ward recommends “pedestrians should always be cautious when crossing the road and look and check if there are vehicles coming first. They can't just count on the drivers suddenly seeing them or paying attention or seeing that there’s a crosswalk there.”

VanWagenen and Sierer are among 52 Sandy crossing guards who cross children 40 minutes in the morning before school and 30 minutes after school.

While crossing guards undergo train ing, their priority is to ensure the safety of the students. However, when the crossing guards have time to capture photos of the motorists who violate the law on their cell phones or jot the license plate down, they are instructed to turn it over to Parker, who works with the San dy Police.

Parker said violators can be issued tickets.

“There's three things that are really issues: speeding through a school zone; going through crosswalks that are occupied; and talking on your cell phone and not paying attention,” she said. “People just need to realize crossing guards are there to keep your children in Sandy safe and they are among our everyday heroes every day. So slow down, pay attention and have some patience.” l

While crossing an Altara Elementary student, crossing guard Lisa VanWagenen stopped a car from proceeding into the cross walk to ensure the student safely made it across the street. (Photo courtesy of Stacey Sierer)

Words, songs of gratitude by schoolchildren thank veterans

Schoolchildren across the Salt Lake Valley thanked veterans and active military per sonnel for their service through school pro grams featuring students singing patriotic songs or sharing special words in apprecia tion of their sacrifice and service.

At many schools, it was the return of in-person assemblies after virtual celebra tions or classroom programs. It also meant veterans and those serving were welcomed back into schools to be honored.

Here’s a look at what four area elemen tary schools did to honor those who are or have served the country as well as two stu dents who wrote essays for the Utah PTA Veterans Day essay contest.

McMillan Elementary, Murray School District

Twenty-two active military and vet erans, some in full uniform, stood with the singing of their branch of service during the Armed Forces on the stage of the 68-yearold McMillan Elementary, looking into the audience of first- through sixth-grade stu dents.

“That was really sweet,” said McMillan PTA President Andrea Pili, who has over seen the program the past six years. “They always sing along to it. They’re just really proud to stand for their song.”

The ceremony began with a flag cere mony conducted by local Girl Scouts who attend the school; students in each grade lev el sang patriotic songs including “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “This Land is Your Land,” “My Country Tis of Thee” and “America the Beautiful;” and featured a slide show of the McMillan students, staff and faculty’s rela tives and friends who have served.

“It makes the assembly more special for them, and the kids love to see there are peo ple personal to their teachers,” she said.

Select students shared their own words of thanks to their guests.

Second-grader Isaac Smith’s great-grandfather flew a B-17 bomber during World War II. Isaac shared his story:

“On a bombing mission, his plane was shot down. He parachuted out of the plane and landed in a farmer’s field. The farmer turned him over to the German army and he was taken to a prisoner of war camp. He had to ride in a box car without any seats for four days straight. He was only able to get out of the car for one hour a day. He was in the pris on camp for eight months and then the war ended, and he was freed. He went home and lived a wonderful life. He died in 2013 at the age of 89. My great grandpa’s life-long mot to was, ‘Perfect or better.’ He is one of my biggest heroes.”

Fourth-grader James Dunkelberger shared that he “thought about how veterans chose to serve others instead of just them selves” and reflected on ways he could do that now, such as doing his chores and tak ing care of the family dog, having a positive

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

attitude in class to create a good classroom environment, and obeying the school rules of being respectful, responsible and safe.

“It isn’t always easy to do things for others,” James wrote. “It would be easier just to do whatever I wanted. I am thankful for everyone who chooses to put themselves second in order to create a better place for the members of our community, society and world.”

Fifth-graders Janessa and Galen Ban croft’s grandpa served in the military and their mom served in the Air Force as imag ery intelligence. In their essay, they shared: “They fought for our justice which means they fought for the rights we have today and our freedoms. We’re here today because of them and other people who fought for us. It is important to remember those who served because they fought for us and their free doms too. When we think of heroes we think of guardians, soldiers, relatives, educators, health care workers, and people who keep us safe. We should always remember our he roes and thank them every day.”

Fifth-grader Ava Pili wrote: “Coura geous, serve, honor, brave, protect, and will ing. These are all the words that describe our amazing military men and women.” While Ava doesn’t have a family member who is active in the service now, she told McMil lan’s guests: “Thank you for the freedoms we enjoy and for showing us what bravery is. Your sacrifice and service should not and will not be forgotten.”

Suzie (last name and grade withheld) said she was grateful to be an American.

“Being an American means to be free and united as one country,” she said. “Be cause of veterans, we are free. It is our duty to celebrate and express gratitude for the brave men and women who have fought and who continue to fight for our country, the United States of America.”

The assembly concluded with the entire student body singing, “God Bless the USA.”

“The kids are just belting it out, honor ing them, singing their little hearts out,” Pili said. “It's a beautiful way to end the program and a great way for our students to express their gratitude through music and words. It’s a very touching tribute.”

Woodstock Elementary, Murray, Granite School District

Woodstock Elementary students invit ed veterans in their lives to attend their af ter-school program that also featured a Pow erPoint slide presentation of those who are serving or served in the Armed Forces.

“It tugs at my heart,” said fifth-grade teacher Kate Axtell, who has family mem bers who have served in the military. “When the kids sing the ‘Armed Forces Medley,’ the little old men stand up and are crying. The kids are crying back at the veterans because they can't believe how much it means to them. Afterward, the kids say it’s the coolest

thing they’ve ever done.”

The program also featured songs from World War I, such as “Over There,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and “Till We Meet Again” and World War II songs, including “Sentimental Journey.”

Sprinkled into the program were some of the 90 fifth-graders sharing their thanks and appreciation to the veterans for the ser vice. Axtell, who has coordinated the pro gram three times, said the students rehearsed for two months, tying it into their curriculum of learning American history.

“They’ve learned about the different wars, and we talked about the music we sang and what it meant. I showed them where Tip perary is and we talked about it, we talked about the trenches, and they know the history of Armistice Day being the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the Great War ended,” Axtell said. “We’re wanting our students to think about their lives and have them understand the sacrifice and service.”

As part of the school’s celebration, third-graders wrote thank you letters to vet erans and were sharing them with those in a local veteran’s hospital as well as one in California. The school’s PTA decorated for the celebration and provided refreshments. Channing Hall, Draper charter school Fifth-grader Dhruv Sinha Ray gave vis iting veterans at Channing Hall a pin he de signed to honor their service.

The pin design is an annual school con test; students create designs and one is se lected to be turned into a pin for the veterans.

This year’s design shows the silhouette of a soldier saluting with an American flag in the background; below are the words, “Proud To Serve.”

At the assembly, the American Legion Color Guard performed a flag folding cere mony and the 50-member combined school choir and chorus performed the national anthem and the song, “Heroes,” written by school music teacher, Jamie Bunker.

Three speakers shared their thoughts on Veterans Day.

Raj Chowdhary, who served in the Air Force and National Guard and father to two Channing Hall students, worked on F-16 Infrared Cameras and Laser Targeting Sys tems; and program manager Quinn Good, spoke about the Salt Lake City VA Fisher House that provides living arrangements for families while veterans are getting medical treatment.

Channing Hall science teacher Jeff Meyers spoke about his service in the Army, including his lead up to and deployment to Afghanistan as a radio transceiver operator.

“I attended several Army training schools familiarizing me with the technology I needed to know to work in the TOC (Tacti cal Operations Command) in Afghanistan,” he said. “I went with my unit to the JRTC or Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, where we conducted live action combat and operations training for a month. I found out that my wife, Kim, was pregnant shortly before deploying to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, my battalion was in the North ern Kunar province, a remote mountainous northern part of the country bordering on Pa kistan. I served in combat there and received the Combat Infantryman Badge as well as several Army Commendation Medals (AR COM) and a battlefield promotion. My sec ond son, Brennon, was born 2 weeks before I returned home.”

McMillan Elementary first-grader Amelia Jarman stands alongside her uncles, National Guard Staff Sgt. Christian Davis, on the left, and Marine Corps Cpl. Jonathan Thompson at the school’s Veterans’ Day assembly. (Photo courtesy of McMillan Elementary)

Meyers continued his service stateside, graduating from the Army Leadership Acad emy in the top 5% of the class and earning his Expert Infantryman Badge.

“I loved my time in the Army and am proud to have served my country,” he said.

As a school-wide service project, Chan ning Hall students brought in paper products ranging from Kleenex to paper plates to do nate to the Fisher House.

Schoolchildren and staff also brought in photos of family members who served, which were displayed on a bulletin board, in appreciation of their service.

The Veterans’ Day program dates back to the early years of the school’s 16-year his tory, with this being the first year returning to the assembly after the COVID-19 pan demic, said Annette Mumford, president of the Channing Hall Parent-Teacher Organi zation that organized the event and provid ed refreshments for the veterans and guests afterward.

Quail Hollow Elementary, Sandy, Can yons School District

Army Master Sgt. Aaron Hilton and Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Hasara were guest speakers at Quail Hollow’s Veterans Day program.

After the presentation of the colors by the Utah National Guard and national an them by Liz Longaker, veterans stood to be recognized and waved to Quail Hollow stu dents.

Then, they watched a clip of Col. Gail Halvorsen, known as “The Candy Bomber,” who frequently spoke to Utah schoolchildren about his World War II experiences dropping candy to children in Berlin. He died this past February.

There also was the recognition of Ma rine Corps SSgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, a nearby Hillcrest High School graduate, who died last year. A moment of silence followed, honoring all deceased veterans.

Relatives and friends who have served and are serving of Quail Hollow students were highlighted in a video after Brighton High sophomore Alexis Schramm played “Taps.”

With the help of volunteers, Melinda Rosevear has coordinated the school’s pro gram for several years, highlighting veterans who have served in different time periods of history.

“It's important we highlight this and bring awareness to our students the signifi cance of their dedication and service and its

meaning,” she said. “This brings our com munity together.”

Silver Mesa Elementary, Sandy, and Draper Park Middle, Canyons School District

Two Canyons District students, Silver Mesa’s fifth-grade student Azaylea Olson and Draper Park’s eighth-grader Noa Pack, won the Utah PTA 500-word essay contest, “Why I am Proud of my Veteran!”

Azaylea, who loves playing cribbage with her grandfather who she calls Pop py, wrote her essay about his service in the Navy, starting with boot camp when he was up at 6 a.m., washed his clothes on cement tables, marched for eight hours per day, learned about M1 rifles, put on gas masks before entering burning buildings, then go ing to bed at 10 p.m.

After boot camp, he was assigned to a naval air station in Alaska when an earth quake struck.

“He climbed a mountain behind his barracks because of a tsunami warning and watched as the tsunami rolled up 40 feet high,” she wrote. “The tsunami took six planes off the runway into the water. They had to fish the planes out of the water.”

Her Poppy went on to have other chal

lenges during his military time, including serving in Vietnam.

“I am proud of my Poppy, my grandfa ther, for serving in the military,” she wrote adding that “his job was very important as he was responsible for sending top secret infor mation to our troops, so they had all the in formation they needed to be safe themselves. He is my veteran and my hero.”

Noa’s dad is currently deployed as a member of the Utah Army National Guard, and she now understands why her dad has missed special occasions and family gather ings.

“He has worked long hours, missed many family events, and has even known the hardship of soldiers who have fallen, both on and off the battlefield,” she wrote. “My dad has missed first steps, birthdays, anni versaries, school projects, and boy drama. However, he is still my biggest hero and role model in everything he does.”

In Noa’s words, “being a veteran means valuing safety, not just for us but for our country. That is why my dad goes to work every day, and I am proud of his sacrifice to help keep America protected.” l

Three-peat region golf champion Preston Cheney leads Jordan’s golf team by quiet example

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Three years ago, as a Jordan High fresh man, Preston Cheney may have surprised his high school classmates by winning the re gion title and placing ninth at state.

But he was known in the golf world.

As the youngest of the Cheney broth ers, he grew up playing with his family. His brothers—Christopher, who graduated in '16, Zach in '18 and Braden in '20—all played golf for the Beetdiggers.

“We had a membership at Willow Creek and that's where my older brother started and then that kind of got us all started,” Cheney said. “It’s fun, especially with all my broth ers, as we all go out and play together, even to this day.”

In 2016, he placed in the top 10 in three tournaments and set his goal to win state in high school. The next year, he placed in the top five in seven tournaments, including ty ing for first in The Ridge Jr. tournament. He tied for 12th in the SWIRE cup. In 2018, he amassed four tournament wins, including The Players Championship Invitational, and an additional eight top 10 finishes.

He continued winning tournaments and adding top 10 finishes as an eighth-grader in 2019 and as a freshman in 2020.

As a sophomore, he won region a second time and placed 11th at state.

Cheney, by winning the qualifier in San Diego, competed in the Notah Begay III (ju nior golf) Championship in 2021, tying for 13th. This past June, he won the OPTIMIST qualifier and placed 11th at the July tourna ment in Florida.

Through his years of playing, he also has had three holes in one—two at Willow Creek and one at Oquirrh Hills.

This year, as a junior, Cheney won his third title as region champion.

“It felt good,” he said modestly. “I think it shows my consistency.”

Soon after, Cheney placed 13th at state.

“I didn’t play good,” he said. “I put too much pressure on myself to win. It got into my head. I don’t know why this time I couldn’t shake it. I was talking about that with my family the other day and I couldn't really answer it. I just don't know.”

But Cheney is not letting it beat him. He’s already back on the course, playing sev eral times during the week.

“Playing golf helps me get over hard ships. I think golf helps me get over the tough times, forgetting about it and moving on,” he said. “I used to play soccer until seventh or eighth grade and I quit basketball after play ing my freshman year even though it was fun. I just wanted to focus more on golf. It gives me a challenge every day, every hole, and I like that.”

His coach, Sam Soter, said his star play er is known for his maturity.

“Technically, he has surpassed my level and knowledge of the game and that is true of 99% of all the golfers on this planet, so, I can not help him much with his swing or stance,” he said. “I can offer help on strategy or men tal approach, or just try to provide an atmo sphere where he can perform at his best.”

Cheney said his calm demeanor has grown with his game.

“When I was younger, my mental game wasn't as good just because it would be so easy to get mad. I think now that I'm older and more mature, I don't get mad very much,” he said. “I just focus on what I’m doing. Or

I'll look around at the surroundings and that just helps me stay calm.”

Cheney also knows what he needs to work on and has the self-discipline to prac tice.

“I practice a lot on technique. I’ll putt 20 times in a row from 3 feet, then 20 from 6 feet, then 15 from 10 feet, five from 20 feet. I'll kind of pick different spots and do the same thing,” he said.

His teammate, Michael Cowley, who discovered his love of golf from his dad and grandpa, said he’s learned from Cheney, who he’s seen has improved his short game.

“I’ve known him since freshman year and he goes about working on his chipping and putting every day,” he said. “He leads by example, not by talking about it. I’ve learned a lot from golf, wrestling and playing tennis, because they’re all individual sports within a team. They’ve all helped me with my mental game, but I can watch Preston, even at prac tice, and what he does and how he focuses on the details of his game and try to incorporate it in mine. I’ve seen how he chips, how he uses certain grips at certain times, what type of shot he’s hitting and how those things im pact the accuracy of his game.”

Soter agrees Cheney leads by his ac tions.

“He is the perfect kind of leader. He is the one who leads by quietly bringing his lunch pail and setting the example, every single day. He shares his knowledge; he is a great teacher and teammate,” Soter said. “It is a great joy to coach Preston, but more because of his love of the game, personali ty, and sportsmanship than due to his ability, skill or talent.”

Cheney, who would like to play college and then turn pro, acknowledged he is aware he’s the leader of the team.

“I think they look up like to me because I've been playing golf a long time and the way I play golf, how I hit the ball, I think I can help them with their technique as well,” he said, adding that with practice, the team including himself, Cowley and Eric Ingman may be a strong contender in the season next year after placing fifth this year. “Golf is a team sport, but it’s also an individual sport. I know what I have to do, how I need to ap proach it, and how I have to practice to be there.” l

Jordan students use marketing skills through real application

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

In Jordan High School’s sports marketing class, students will have to create a mar keting plan to promote a fantasy team. As part of that plan, the assignment will include a media release.

However, students Michael Cowley and Kobe Carter decided to use what they learned to write a release about their team mate, junior Preston Cheney, and send it to the Sandy City Journal.

“It's experiential learning,” said their teacher Sam Soter, who also is all three boys’ golf coach at school. “When they see the paper coming out, they understand market ing better by actually doing something that means something to them and their team. I could teach out of a book, but it’s different when you write and publish something, it means something different.”

Soter said as part of their learning, stu

dents seek to find unique ideas or “that hu man interest story.”

In this case, the two sports market ing students focused on their best player, Cheney, using a catchy headline: “Preston Cheney Wins Region 8—again.”

In the press release written before the state championship, the teammates said that Cheney won his third regional title by a 14-stroke lead. They also added details of his other accomplishments in golf, including setting a school record.

They quoted Soter, “Preston has all the tools to succeed in the game of golf: phys ical and temperament. Yet, what impresses me is that when he shoots a good round, or a bad one for him, he’s the same guy. In fact, the only time that I’ve seen him animated is when his teammates do well!”

Cowley said it was his first time writing

a media release.

“I've known him for a while and I’ve been watching him in a lot of these tour naments, so it was kind of easier for me to write about him,” he said. “I was able to ask him and incorporate some of his standings within the region, like who was closest to him, and some of his accomplishments that I didn't even know. It’s weird. I see him al most every day playing, but he doesn't really go talk about himself and what he’s done.”

Another marketing project Cowley has appreciated was creating an event triangle, incorporating an event, a sponsor and fans.

“We’re learning how to market a prod uct, how to get it out there and what people like, what appeals to people with color and design font. We’re learning where to place it in town and how it relates to the people in the town, like demographics and target mar

ket,” he said.

Cowley also learned about sponsorship proposals.

“I was trying to write a sponsorship for a golf brand to get our golf team T-shirts for next year,” he said about another real-life ap plication of his learning.

Cowley has appreciated the hands-on learning approach and wants to pursue mar keting in college.

“I want to go to New Mexico State Uni versity; they have a golf management pro gram where I learn marketing for golf brands and I’d get my tour pro card so I can teach golf basically,” he said. “I’d be guaranteed a job from the four-year program so this sports marketing class goes right along with what I want to do in college.” l

Jordan High junior Preston Cheney played the historic Doral Country Club golf course in Flor ida this past summer. (Photo courtesy of Annie Cheney)

Altara

setting

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

As Altara second- through fifth-grade students unloaded the buses at Camp Tracy, third-grader Willa Osborne was amongst them.

“I was really excited,” she said say ing she remembered making friendship bracelets and going on a scavenger hunt last year. “Camp Tracy had all these fun activities for us to do in their Learning for Life program.”

Willa said this year, she hiked, ran an obstacle course, made and shot card stock rockets, created beaded snakes, and played games, including tug-of-war.

“I kept my rocket as a souvenir,” she said. “We played a fun snowball game us ing crumbled-up paper where we threw around the snowballs and that team with the least number of snowballs on their side wins. I learned that you have to work as a team to get the accomplishment you want. We encouraged people and if they messed up, we were still very kind and helpful to them.”

Second-grade teacher Fernando Bo luda-Garcia also appreciated the different learning atmosphere.

“This was an amazing field trip be cause all these activities they can enjoy in nature,” he said. “There was a bingo where in my case, we had them do it Span ish. It was good because every kid can do the activities, it’s not an activity for those with high skills sets; it’s for everyone.”

Every year, Altara Elementary ac cepts an invitation to go to Camp Tracy as “they learn life skills that are tied to our curriculum,” Principal Nicole Svee Magann said.

“This may give them an opportunity that maybe they wouldn’t do,” she said. “Maybe not every kid is going to see a horse or get to canoe or even hike. Kids are getting to be kids and they’re highly engaged the whole time. They’re learn ing how to do work in groups. They are learning leadership skills; they’re learning kindness and cooperation. It’s skills like working together, listening, communica tion. They’re learning in a different set ting, and it creates a bonding opportunity. There's something about being outside; it’s kind of magical.”

As Camp Tracy is an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America, students use its Learning for Life curriculum, said Geor gia Smith, who coordinates the visit.

“We partner with a business as part of the United Way Day of Caring to provide volunteers for the students and The Boyer Company teamed up with Altara that day,” Smith said. “They staffed different sta tions. For instance, one of the stations was learning to trust and believing in your self as kids did a trust walk on wooden poles being held by their classmates. The

kids walked across it and as soon as they walked past them, it was their job to run back around and get in front of it again to continue and perpetuate the trust. They’re learning a lot of self-confidence and hav ing the opportunity to develop new skills in a safe atmosphere.”

Older students, she said, learned lead ership by taking a rowboat out with canoe paddles.

“We find one or two students under stand what to do. For children who have never been on a rowboat and have no idea how to paddle, they will get you out there and they tend to spin you in a circle until these other students take initiative to ex plain to them how to paddle together,” she said. “It's really kind of fun to see them learn leadership and perseverance and not even realize they’re learning it. In some of the activities, you see a lot of teamwork and the kids will just start cheering each other on, encouraging one another. One of the benefits about a camp experience is that the activities look very simplistic, but it's all helping them test a different skill and try something that maybe they've nev er done before while having fun.”

Fifth-grader Emmett Matern was with his classmates Gretta Kauffman and Landry Tonks, recalling their favorite ex periences.

Emmett said in his first time in a boat, he liked splashing around while having a water fight, but he learned how to paddle.

“It was a lot of fun once we got go ing,” he said.

Landry liked the hike.

“I liked there was a lot of bushes and different plants,” he said. “We hiked up the hill and could see the lake.”

Gretta is a horse lover.

“My favorite part was getting on the horse,” said Gretta, who has visited the camp every time since she could with the school. “The obstacle course was tougher for older grades than it is younger grades. It was kind of hard because I wanted to go as fast as I could, but I liked the chal lenge.”

Her dad, Jeff Kauffman, attended Camp Tracy as a youth and is supportive of Gretta and his second-grade daughter, Laini, getting to experience it.

“I love that they’re expanding their classroom walls, be out in nature, learn about real life applications from their schoolwork and learn how you can apply it,” Kauffman said. “It’s important to have that well rounded education. I think just being with their friends in that environ ment, being able to share that with each other what they learned is an amazing ex perience they’ll remember.” l

Altara students learn to paddle in a rowboat while learning teamwork and leadership skills at Camp Tracy in Millcreek Canyon. (Nicole Svee Magann/Altara Elementary)

There’s a buzz at Jordan: New drone program is soaring high

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

High above a Jordan High football game, a drone was taking footage; it was being operated by senior Brayden Thacker.

“I got permission to use it at the foot ball game last Friday night, so I was able to get some really cool shots,” said the stu dent who loves video games, so he quick ly adapted when he took the controls of a drone. “This is a really cool class. I’d love to get some shots with the entire valley and everything in the mountains if I was able to take it with me up hiking.”

This new class is unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, more commonly referred to as the drone class at Jordan.

“We get to fly most of the days, so there’s a lot of hands-on experience. We’ve learned about drones—how they work, aviation stuff like fixed wings; roll, pitch and yaw; and we go over drag, lift, weight. We know where it's safe to fly because there’s controlled airspace above 400 feet,” Thacker said. “I’ve been con sidering a career using a drone ever since I started this class, maybe in movie film or wedding photography. It's fun and it pays really well. There are so many jobs using drones like contracting for real estate or even, searching inside buildings that are damaged, so someone doesn’t have to go in there if it were to collapse. First, we have to get our license, so this class is pre paring us for a big state test we can take at the end of the semester to get certified.”

Junior Carter Evans, who is in the class, wants to be a meteorologist.

“I can see how that could benefit from drones,” he said. “With storm chasing, if you had a really strong drone that could resist some serious wind, you could fly it near a tornado instead of having a person out there to video, which doesn't seem like a great option. It definitely could be used with satellite imagery.”

Evans has taken a TV broadcasting class and was an anchor on the school broadcast team and was getting footage with a drone.

“I was asked to help make a video for the class, so I've been filming the other kids in here fly their drones,” he said. “It’s been a great opportunity to tie what I’ve learned together. I had an empty space in my schedule and my counselor offered it, so I said, ‘Why not?’ So far, I haven't re gretted that.”

During the concurrent course where students, mostly juniors and seniors can earn three college credits, they learn to fly three different kinds of drones—Holy Stones, Snaptains and DJIs. Thacker said that the drone he used has normal, sport and cinematic photography modes, with the latter having a built-in stabilizer that allows for a slower shot.

When there is inclement weather, they still can practice their skills. Within her classroom, teacher Leslie Vawdrey has set up an indoor obstacle course so students can learn how to maneuver the smaller drones, racing them through hula hoops and around pool noodles that are hung from the ceiling.

Vawdrey is new to Jordan High and to drones after teaching at three other high schools the past 17 years.

“I was teaching filmmaking and the state curriculum changed to include drones in it, so this past summer, I went to Utah State University because of their amazing aviation program and learned about drones and took the part of the 107 pilot's license for UAS (unmanned aerial system),” she said.

Vawdrey was sharing this story at a baby shower when a woman sitting next to her asked her a question: “Would you be interested in teaching a drone class?”

That woman was Dina Kohler, who then was Jordan High’s assistant principal.

“I was looking around for someone and here she was, qualified and sitting next to me, talking about it,” Kohler said. “I gave her my phone number and how to apply for the position. Bruce (Eschler, Jor dan High principal) is really pushing CTE (career and technical education) because it brings those skills that those kiddos need, whether they go on to college or not. So, I was excited once she was hired that we’d be able to start this program with CTE funding.”

Vawdrey started with the basics.

“We started with safety because the blades can be very dangerous. Then we

learned the different ways that they fly, yaw and trimming and the terminology of flight like forward thrust, vertical thrust, the difference between airplanes and drones, how airplanes and helicopters fly differently. And the history and the future of drones,” she said.

Vawdrey teaches three sections of the class; each has 20 students, matching the number of drones she has in her classroom sets. USU provided “a roadmap of what they want us to follow, but we kind of do our own research and kind of tweak the les sons, bring in some engineering, and make them a little more engaging. We have kids of different levels. Some are starting out and are excited about it. Some are learning hand-eye coordination, but they’re doing great. Others are more advanced and own their own drones. Some kids are also in the new electronics class I teach because they want to be able to repair their drones if they break or anything goes wrong,” she said.

Vawdrey is happy with her move.

“The school has been amazing to set up this program. I'm teaching them pilot ing and the rules to safely fly them their space. It's almost like a mini pilot class where they have the chance to go and fly above the soccer field,” she said.

Recently, the three class sections were able to fly around campus, documenting items, such as a flagpole, a flower, a goal

post, a stop sign, a speed bump and others that were on a scavenger hunt.

“We had to find a bird which was real ly annoying because they’re flying like the drone, right? I lucked out and found one in a bush,” Evans said. “We were supposed to find a school bus, but no one could find the school bus at the time of our class because it wasn’t during pick-up or drop-off or a field trip.”

Vawdrey has more plans as the term goes on.

“We’re going to be editing too, be cause they’ll have all this flight footage, and with my film background, I’ll teach them Adobe Premiere Pro. Then, they edit the footage and put some music to it and can have it for a portfolio. When they graduate, they can say, ‘I can fly a drone, I can shoot this footage, I can edit it’ and have these skills, whether they’re col lege-bound or not, it will be beneficial,” she said.

Jordan CTE coordinator Heather Star ley said with the initial interest shown in the drone class, she is hoping to add more classes in the upcoming years.

“With more of those concurrent en rollment classes, they can get more col lege credit and more training,” Starley said. “They’re having a great opportunity to pilot the drones, learn how to fix them if they get damaged, film and edit using the drones’ cameras and all those skills.” l

Jordan High students learn to fly drones as part of the new unmanned aerial systems class. (Julie Slama/ City Journals)

Unmanned aerial systems teacher Leslie Vawdrey teaches students not only how to fly and make repairs to the drones, but also to understand the basic principles of aviation. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

IN THIS ISSUE:

Z News 1

Elevate Sandy's Pace of Progress ....... 1

Citizen Connect 2

By the Numbers: Community Arts 2

Winter Street Parking Reminders 2

Sandy City Youth Court HIghlight 2

Alta Canyon Sports Center 3

River Oaks Golf Course 3 HR Jobs Corner 3 Parks & Recreation ............................ 4

City Recorder/Passport Of ce Teams 4

Steel Magnolias 4

Making Roads Safe During Winter 5 The Nutcracker 5

Holiday Concert with Chopus 5

Sandy Arts: Board Members Needed 5 Fire Safety During Winter Storms 6

Christmas Tree Recycling 6 Youth Music Auditions 6 Calendar of Events............................. 6

Dear Sandy Resident,

Happy Holidays from all of us at Sandy City! e rst year as your mayor has been lled with amazing events, opportunities to meet many residents in the community and working with our incredible Sandy sta . We were blown away by the attendance to our community events this year. 4th of July, the Heritage Festival, Trunk or Treat and the Light up the Cairns event far exceeded our expectations in participation. It is clear residents are happy to be back forming connections as a community after the last few years. Sandy sta will be busy adding to our events and planning for even bigger turn outs in 2023!

e holidays are some of the best times of the year. However, the holidays present a greater risk for res especially from indoor lights and decorations. Make sure to test smoke alarms, keep candles away from anything that can burn and replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords. Blow out lit candles and turn o all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

Winter is upon us. at means the snowplows are out in force. Please do your part to help them clear the roads by keeping cars o the roads when snowstorms are imminent. After the snow starts to fall, the snowplow driver’s priority

is to make all main roads passable for schools, hospitals, clinics, re & police stations, and commuter tra c. If the snow continues to fall, the city’s rst goal is to continually keep those main roads open. In such instances, it is unlikely that residential roads will be reached immediately because main roads must be repeatedly plowed. We appreciate your patience and understanding during a big snowstorm. Please know they will get to your roads; it may just take a little longer than we all like.

2023 will be a year of making big decisions for the city. Capital projects and hiring additional re ghters to service a city of our size will be ongoing conversations with the city council. I hope you will take the time to attend or listen virtually to the city council meetings every Tuesday night. We need the input of all Sandy residents to make the best decisions for the future of the city. You can nd the link

to listen to city council meetings by visiting sandy.utah.gov and clicking on the city council page.

Don’t forget about the mayor’s public open hours held the rst ursday of every month. If you have an issue, suggestion or just want a tour of the mayor’s o ce, you can contact Cortney Kuntz at ckuntz@sandy.utah.gov to set up a meeting with me.

To reach me directly, please send an email to mayor@ sandy.utah.gov. To request a meeting or appearance with the mayor, ll out the meeting request form at www.sandy.utah.gov/mayor

Holidays to you and yours!,

Happy

Mayor Monica Zoltanski

Photo contest winner: Jason Murray

•

events

Amphitheater events

• Impacted over 83,000 individuals (32,000 more, 62% increase from 2019)

• Over 80,000 attendees (31,883 more, 68% increase from 2019)

• 8580 receiving free or discounted admission

• Over 73,000 attendees at the Sandy Amphitheater (30,951 more, 73% increase from 2019)

• 451 adult artists, actors, musicians, etc.

• 1493 youth artists, actors, musicians, etc.

volunteer hours

One of the best parts about the holiday season is getting together with family and friends. As we begin to plan all our gatherings, we want to share a few parking reminders, so our o cers don’t have to ruin anyone’s Christmas party!

One of the most frequent is winter parking. Sandy City code states: (a)No person shall park a vehicle on any street from November 1 to April 30 for a period of time longer than one hour between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m. of any day, except during emergency calls. Overnight parking on any street, during the period herein speci ed, is hereby prohibited. (b)No person shall park or leave a vehicle on any street during any snowstorm, nor shall such vehicle be parked on said street within 24 hours after the end of such storm. (Sec. 14-7-3. - Snow Removal, Parking Prohibited, Tra c Code, § 153)

e other most frequent parking complaints we get are parking “In front of, within ve feet of, or directly across from a public or private driveway” (Sec. 14-72 – Stopping, Standing or Parking Across Lines, Tra c Code, § 148)

Please help keep our streets clear of these parking issues so our snow plows and our rst responders can better serve you.

Happy Holidays from Sandy Police Department.

Street Parking Reminders Sandy

City

e Sandy City Youth court would like to highlight our newest member, Satwik Chavakula.

9565 S. Highland Drive, Sandy, Utah 84092

HOLIDAY HOURS

Please visit our website for up-to-date holiday hours or scan the QR code below.

JANUARY MEMBERSHIP SALE

Get the biggest discount of the season. 20% o all annual memberships, aerobics punch cards (limit 2), and A+ memberships. is once-a-year discount is only available January 2 – 31, during Center hours.

PLAY & LEARN PRESCHOOL

Enrolling for next month. 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Children will enjoy their day at Play & Learn Preschool with a variety of games and activities! ere is playtime, class time, lunch, and more playtime. Our teachers work hard to make learning fun and engaging.

New for 2023: Extended hours o ered for an additional fee.

BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL (GRADES K-5)

Your child deserves a better way to go to and from school. Our services make it easy for you by providing a safe and reliable way to get your kids where they need to go. We also provide crafts, snacks, and games while they are with us.

Schools: Brookwood, Granite, Park Lane, Peruvian Park, Quail Hollow, Silver Mesa, and Willow Canyon.

PERSONAL TRAINING

Do you want an experienced personal trainer to help you get t and motivate you in the process? If so, then our personal trainer is perfect for you! With over 20 years of experience, Tess is up to date on the latest tness trends and knows how to design a training plan that will suit your needs. Email tess@fuze tness.com to set up an appointment.

KARATE:

Dedicated to teaching Shotokan Karate, IMA is a family-oriented dojo o ering classes to children and adults of all abilities and levels. Friday night class at Alta Canyon Sports Center.

River Oaks Golf Course

9300 South Riverside Drive, Sandy, Utah (801) 568-4653

Sandy.utah.gov/golf

GIVE THE GIFT OF GOLF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

If you want to hit a hole in one with your present buying, we o er the best gifts for golfers to suit every budget. We always have a large selection of brand name golf clubs on sale. Choose from Titleist, Taylor Made, Callaway, Ping and many other golf club manufacturers.

In addition to golf clubs for sale, we also o er golf range nders, golf bags, golf balls, golf hats, golf clothing and golf club accessories. Gift Certi cate are Available!

For more info follow us on Instagram- RiverOaksGolfSandy and on Facebook River Oaks Golf at Sandy City.

WINTER “INDOOR” GOLF LESSONS

Winter time is a perfect time to make big swing changes that will give you big results in 2022. All winter long, 2016 Utah PGA Teacher of the Year Ryan Holt will be teaching indoor lessons at River Oaks Teaching Academy. Using high-speed video analysis, a pressure pad, and sensors that measure weight transfer, Ryan can get the most out of your swing. Whether you want big changes or just to keep the rust o , Ryan can help you out.

If you are looking for holiday gifts, we match and beat any price in the valley for golf equipment. Anything from soft spikes to full sets of golf clubs! We do advanced ttings for FREE with the purchase of the equipment. Gift certi cates for lessons and ttings are also available.

Email Ryan at ryanholtgolf@gmail.com or call 435-840-3102.

Fire ghter EMT/

JR JAZZ BASKETBALL

Registration for Jr Jazz has passed, please visit sandy.utah.gov/registration for availability.

BASKETBALL FUN SHOT COMPETITION!

Each participant will have two, one-minute rounds to score as many baskets as possible from ve di erent shooting spots. Each shooting spot will have a di erent point value ranging from 2-5.

Top two winners from each division advance to the regional competition. First place winners from a regional competition advance to the nals held at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Divisions will be Boys 3&4th, 5&6th, 7&8th, 9-12th, Girls 3&4th, 5&6th, 7&8th, 9-12th. Please sign up under the grade division we will separate boys and girls.

Date: Saturday, Dec. 17

Time: For the speci c time frame for each division visit sandy.utah.gov/registration

Cost: Free (pre-registration required)

Location: Sandy City Parks & Recreation-440 E. 8680 S.

BARRY HECKER BASKETBALL CAMP

e camp is for girls and boy’s grades 4th-9th. During the camp participants will be taught the basic fundamentals of foot work, passing, dribbling, and shooting.

Dates: Dec. 27, 28, 29, 30

Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Cost: $85

Location: Sandy City Parks & Recreation-440 E. 8680 S. Registration: sandy.utah.gov/registration

38TH ANNUAL MEN’S SNOWBALL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

Come join us for our 38th annual Snowball Softball Tournament. Grab your friends, co-works, family members, and neighbors, form a team and come play softball in the winter. Guaranteed 3 games. Games played with eld conditions as is-rain or snow.

Dates: Feb. 4,5

Deadline: Jan. 25 by 5 p.m. Cost: $325/Team Registration: sandy.utah.gov/registration

Location: Bicentennial Park–530 E. 8680 S. Quarry Bend Park–9020 S. Quarry Bend Parkway

WANTED: JR. JAZZ REFEREES

GREAT PAY! FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE!

Pay: $12-$24 (depending on age and experience) Apply today at sandy.utah.gov/jobs (Must be at least 14 years old)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

Spring Soccer and Adult Softball registration begins Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 (softball registration only for Sandy returning 2022 spring & fall teams)

Barbara

Sienna Cederlof – Passport Acceptance Agent

We have many duties in the Recorder’s & Passport O ce. Not only are we a Certi ed Passport Acceptance Facility, but we also manage all of the Municipal Elections in the odd years, receive and ful ll all non-police Government Records and Access Management Act (GRAMA) requests, publish and post all public notices, oversee and transmit code changes for online codi cation, and we maintain all city contracts and records, including In the year 2022 we have accepted over 4,900 passport applications, ful lled over 280

sandy.utah.gov/1075/City-Recorder

Wendy Downs - the City Recorder

Charlie Cressall – Deputy City Recorder

Tagoa’i – Passport Acceptance Agent

Making Roads and Neighborhoods Safe During the Winter

During the winter months, travel conditions can change quickly during a major snowstorm. Oftentimes, just getting to and from destinations like work and school can be stressful. Icy conditions can cause delays and be very dangerous. It is a priority of Sandy City to minimize the danger and to make all public areas including parks and roads safe and passable as quickly as possible.

• e Public Works Department has crews prepared 24 hours a day in the event of a storm. eir priority is to make all main roads passable for schools, hospitals, re stations, and commuter tra c. If the snow continues to fall, the city’s rst goal is to keep the main roads clear. In such instances, it is unlikely that residential roads will be reached immediately because main roads must be repeatedly plowed. After main roads are cleared, they can move to other roads, residential streets, and cul-de-sacs depending on the size of the storm and the amount of snowfall. Please keep in mind that it could be 12-18 hours after a storm ends before a plow enters your neighborhood.

• e Parks Division maintains over 90 locations for snow removal. eir priority is to clear sidewalks near city buildings and school walkways. Crews can clear snow from all paved sections of trails and jogging paths as soon as all other priority locations are safe. Depending on the size of the storm, crews may not be able to reach a location for a couple of days.

• e Police Department strives to keep city streets safe during a snowstorm. ey would like to remind drivers that there are parking restrictions on residential streets during the winter months from Nov. 1 through April 30. is is for the safety of the residents in that neighborhood and for the snowplow drivers who must clear the streets. Police o cers can either cite vehicles or have them towed if they are parked on city streets during a storm or within 24 hours after a storm.

• e Fire Department asks that residents clear areas around re hydrants. Time is of the essence when a structure is on re, and someone needs assistance. Hydrants are in every neighborhood and delays can come when snow or other debris blocks hydrants. Take a few minutes to clear the area around a hydrant.

Other

tips for making your neighborhood safer:

• Clear snow from your sidewalk within 24 hours of a storm.

• Do not create a hazard by blowing or pushing snow into any city street.

• Clear common areas in neighborhoods such as mailboxes, re hydrants or sidewalks for children walking to school.

• Help the elderly or in rmed by shoveling their areas.

It is our goal to clear the snow within a reasonable timeframe and quickly resolve any safety issues. For questions regarding snow removal, please call:

Streets – Public Works: (801) 568-2999

Private sidewalks – Code Enforcement: (801) 568-7254

Parking issues – Police Dispatch: (801) 799-3000

City buildings, trails, sidewalks, and parking lots – Parks & Recreation: (801) 568-2900

During a snowstorm, if you would like to see the locations for the Sandy City snowplows, please go to sandy.utah.gov/plowtracker.

To inquire, please email msalomonson@sandy.utah.gov

Sandy City will have areas identi ed at the following locations for the collection of Christmas Trees from Tuesday Dec. 27, 2022 until Tuesday morning Jan. 17, 2023:

Storm Mountain Park 11400 S. 1000 E.

Bell Canyon Park 11400 S. 1700 E.

Flat Iron Mesa Park 8600 S. 1700 E. (Lower west parking lot)

Highpoint Park 7800 S. 1000 E. Crescent Park 11000 S. 230 E. Wild ower Park 9939 S. Wild ower Road

Parks and Cemetery Shop 9120 S. 700 E.

Please ensure that all lights, ornaments, tinsel and garland are removed from the trees as well as stands. Trees that have been ocked should not be taken to any of these locations since they are not recyclable. Flocked trees can be cut into pieces and placed in your waste container. Finally, bulk waste, garbage, yard waste, and commercial dumping of trees are not acceptable. If you have any questions, call Public Works at (801) 568-2999 or Parks and Recreation at (801) 568-2900.

Holiday Waste Collection

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

The recently released Utah School Report Card shows public and charter schools that were recognized for excellence, including area schools such as Academy for Math, Engineering and Science in Murray and Beehive Science & Technology Academy in Sandy, as well as how all schools can improve.

Produced by the Utah State Board of Edu cation, school report cards are intended to inform parents, educators, and community stakeholders to learn more about accountability in schools.

The state report also said, “While no stu dent report card tells the full story of a child, no school report card tells the full story of a school. Education is far more than a single score or letter grade, but it is important that families and com munities can see both strengths and areas that need support and improvement.”

The report, which takes into account achievement and growth in core subjects of English/language arts, math and science; as well as English language learners’ progress and post-secondary readiness, and other factors, can be found at: www.utahschoolgrades.schools. utah.gov

AMES received an A or exemplary status.

“It's nice to be validated by another source other than our own data and our own workings,” said AMES Principal Brett Wilson.

While COVID-19 impacted many schools report cards, and they weren’t issued during those two years, Wilson said some measures AMES put in place has helped student learning.

“During COVID, we did synchronous learning, which means our students showed up for every class, every day, only it was held on line, synchronous with their teacher. It wasn't just all online through Canvas (learning plat form) without the teachers there, without some direction and that helped with learning,” he said. “What a lot of schools did is they would put assignments and content up on Canvas and have students watch videos and respond to their assignments. We did that, too, but additionally, we had regular classes on their regular schedule, online via Zoom.”

In addition to making students accountable, Wilson said it helped with relationships.

“It helped keep connections and it didn't let school get too far away. We’re not seeing the really big drop offs in terms of academic knowl edge,” said the 11-year AMES principal, adding that the longevity of his teachers and staff have kept consistency in relationships important.

Wilson acknowledged his faculty and staff already have plans to improve their scores.

“We've seen students coming in with lower reading scores and some lower writing skills. It's just not something that anybody does very often outside of school,” he said about the diminishing importance of writing or reading for pleasure.

Wilson said AMES students, under the direction of a teacher, can select a title from a choice of three books, then will read and anno tate together, predicting the plot and the charac ters’ actions.

“All that goes into good reading skills,” he said, adding that it will help with the ACT stan dardized college exam’s reading comprehension and speed test.

For schools that have lower marks, Wilson said that they can rebound.

“Dive into your data and see where your gaps are. Try to fill those gaps with either teach ers that are highly trained for those students, or curriculum or smaller opportunities that you can really direct the learning. We've tossed around doing a better reading test for our ninth graders and tracking them better as they move through our four years here, since we've noticed that the reading scores are going down — that's just a small example.”

Beehive Academy also received an A.

“We are quite happy that we are still main taining an A after COVID, especially when so many things have changed,” said school direc tor Hanifi Oguz, who said that the report card is more than an accountability of doing well. “We take it as a tool, an opportunity to see how we are doing and what we can focus on to improve and help our students.”

For example, in English, Beehive’s score

has improved through the years.

“Typically English, in the past, was not as good as our other scores, and we have in recent years been working on it and it remains a high priority right now to further improve. It’s what we are working on with interventions, extra programs and support staff,” he said. “We have a collaborative team who work very closely to look at data and set the goals for the year—what we are going to focus on, what we are going to improve and what we are going to maintain. Our teachers are active team members and that makes a big difference because they are working very closely with the students and know how to use strategies to make those improvements.”

While test scores are indicators, Oguz said he also relies on the teamwork of students, par ents and school staff.

“At the end of the day, the teachers and ad ministration set goals, it comes down to the ac tual student who is learning and doing the work, and how the students are supported by their par ents. So, they have to be a partner in that. Much success is shown by having a strong parent part nership through open communication and shar ing the progress with parents; I think we have done a good job in that over the years, and we’re continuing to develop and have those close part nerships,” he said.

Oguz said Beehive has added more coun selors and services to help the social-emotional health of students, which in turn, helps students

have a better mindset so they’re ready to learn.

Beehive also introduced more free pro grams and clubs so students can experience learning in other opportunities.

“It makes a huge difference for those kids because it supports and enriches their learning, and it helps students become more well-round ed. It's engaging students very meaningfully, providing not only academic engagement, but also learning to be part of a team, experience working relationships, develop friendship, and those positive interactions that you want with their peers,” Oguz said.

Instilling a mentality of success begins at AMES from the first day, Wilson said.

“We start talking right away about success and college; we set that bar high. We tell them ‘Everybody's going to graduate; everybody's go ing to have the opportunity if they want to be ready to go to post-secondary school.’ We do that. We've got a whole staff and student body who are connected to that mission. That's the challenge, whether you’re 500 students, 200 stu dents or 2,000,” he said. “A lot of people refer to AMES students as nerds and we're OK with that because that means you're working hard. Our students aren’t afraid to stay up late and do the work that it takes to get good grades and to learn. We embrace the nerdiness of who we are; we have a whole school of 454 nerds all working together toward a common goal of success and we’ll take that.” l

Beehive Science & Technology Academy in Sandy maintained its exemplary status on its report card, which was recently released from the Utah State Board of Education. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Monica Hinz joins Granger Medical Clinic as a recent graduate of University of Florida, Jacksonville’s pediatric residency. Following residency she served as a chief resident for one year. As a native Floridian, she and her family have loved moving to Utah this past summer and are enjoying all the natural beauty and outdoor activities that Salt Lake City area has to offer. Dr. Hinz is of Columbian descent and is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Hinz is passionate about not only helping her patients grow, but also ensuring the entire family unit is thriving.

Pirate O’s

If your goal is to find unique, deli cious and distinctive gifts for the holi day season, Pirate O’s Gourmet Market in Draper (11901 S. 700 East) should be your first stop.

The market is celebrating its 25th anniversary and this holiday’s invento ry of items is bigger than it’s ever been. Whether your taste runs sweet, salty, spicy or savory, finding the perfect treat is easy and affordable.

“It’s the biggest selection I’ve ever seen,” said Pirate O’s owner Orian Col linsworth. “There’s no doubt that we have an insane amount of product wait ing for our customers. There is no place they’ll be able to go in the United States, maybe the world, where they can get the variety of European Christmas items we have. After 25 years of doing this, this is not only the pinnacle of this year, but of 25 years of practice.”

For your sweet tooth, Pirate O’s has a wide selection of holiday treats, in cluding Cadbury advent calendars, gen uine German Haribo gummies, pandoros

and panettones (Italian holiday cakes) and torrone, a classic Italian nougat. It also has chocolate letters for those cel ebrating St. Nicholas Day in early De cember.

“We have all the Dutch chocolate letters that people buy and they put that chocolate letter in their shoes,” Orian said. “People will be buying all of that along with Dutch licorice, and stroop wafels and Dutch hagelslag, which are chocolate sprinkles.”

You can find your favorite choco late brands from all over the world, in cluding Milka, Maribou, Kinder, Lindt, Scharfenberger, Bissinger, and Ghirar delli.

Creating a delicious charcuterie board is a breeze with Pirate O’s se lection of meats, cheeses and dips. The market boasts more than 100 different

types of cheeses and a resident cheese expert can help you find the best prod uct for your event. Adding authentic German salami, spicy pickles and an as sortment of unique crackers will make your charcuterie board a one-of-a-kind offering.

If you’re looking for exceptional sauces, oils, balsamic vinegars and hot sauce, you won’t be able to choose just one. Pirate O’s has more than 170 hot sauce products from brands like Igua na, Peppadew and Ring of Fire. The infamous Roasted Raspeberry Chipotle Sauce is a customer favorite, and wheth er you’re looking for bread dipping in gredients or a delicious salad dressing, the options are endless.

“We’ve never had so much product for Christmas,” Orian said. “The store is at its pinnacle. We sit back and look at it and go, holy smoke! We get these 30 days of Christmas and it’s magical, in a sense.”

A personalized gift basket is perfect for an office party, corporate event or

hostess gift. You can create your own, purchase a grab-and-go, or have a Pirate O’s basket artist conjur up the best in gredients for your needs.

For more information about Pirate O’s, including store hours, visit Pi rate-Os.com

“It’s a one-of-a-kind, eclectic place,” Orian said. “Shop early for best selection, shop late for best price. But don’t wait because once it’s gone, it’s gone. The store is really fun. There is not a shop like this anywhere in the world. It’s worth a visit.”

Glacier Hills’ kindness week created unity at school and in community

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Glacier Hills second-grader Conor Courage was writing a note to his best friend, Max, and to his mother.

“You are the most wonderous good person I’ve ever met. I love you more than anything, even Santa,” he told her.

Conor was sitting outside of his school that evening, taking part in the school’s kindness week’s activity of writing apprecia tion notes. He also signed thank-you notes to the school staff as well as the construction crew, who were putting finishing touch es on the new school.

There also were fun activities like posing in a photo booth, chalking the playground or checking out the firetruck as it was a celebration of a successful week, said Stephanie Robbins, school PTA fundraising vice president.

“We picked kindness as our theme because we wanted to build community since we’re coming together this year as one school,” said Robbins, referring to the new Glacier Hills Ele mentary incorporating both defunct Edgemont and Bell View elementaries. “We wanted the students to work together, and they had surprises for secret classes. One class gave another class toy maracas, some drew pictures for their secret class, one made pet clouds by putting eyes on cotton balls; there were some fun and cute ideas.”

Third-grader Lily Robbins liked the week.

“I made new friends who went to Bell View,” she said. “I also had fun reading to my younger siblings.”

She was able to add a dot for performing an act of kindness in the school’s “avalanche hall” as other kids did when they did something kind that week. Many students completed a bingo sheet of acts of kindness during the campaign.

Conor not only helped do chores at home, he helped clean

up the preschool room at school.

Third-grader Lillian Larking asked friends to play with her.

“I didn’t want them to be lonely on the playground, so we went on the seesaw together,” she said. “We even did it dou ble-decker.”

Lillian also put coins into the coin jar that night.

“The money goes to the school, to our class parties and our field trips,” she said.

PTA membership vice president Emily Courage said that in addition to those, funds raised support PTA events like rib bon weeks, Reflections, teacher appreciation, beach day, school play, turkey trot, reading month and other activities.

It was a no-fuss fundraiser, meaning students asked friends and family for donations and didn’t sell anything, Robbins said.

“We want to try to fill up our coin jar as much as we can, doing it together; we’ve welcomed donations, whether it was a few coins or several dollars,” she said, adding that they gave friendship bracelets in return for contributions.

Donations totaled $13,589.03, said Principal Julie Win free, who after overseeing construction of the new school, was recently honored as one of this year’s Canyons School District’s school administrators of the year.

“We counted those three pennies,” Winfree said. “The kids are so adorable and the challenge of bringing everyone together, trying to build community, has been fun. This week was de signed to unite this community—the kids, the staff, the fami lies—and kindness is a great skill to unite people. The PTA had a great week launching spreading kindness and building com munity, including a night of fun and celebration.” l

Third-graders Baylee Maughan, Taelyn Mamales and Briella Fellows pose at Glacier Hills’ kindness night’s photo booth. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

When ComcastRISE was launched to support women-owned small busi nesses, Comcast committed $1 billion to programs that would affect 50 million people. ComcastRISE, which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment, helps business owners get access to tools and funding they need to thrive.

In early November, Comcast spon sored the opening of SheMoney’s Spend program, inviting conscious consumerism to support women+ business owners in their wealth creation journey.

SheMoney, a content platform dedicat ed to financial equity, is a sister brand to ShePlace, a network designed to help mem bers build social capital through resource sharing and opportunities for worldwide collaboration.

Madison Limansky, COO of ShePlace, worked in the fashion industry and produc tion for 17 years. After receiving a degree in gender studies from the University of Utah, it changed her perception of the fash ion world and she revolutionized the way companies approach representation through media campaigns.

Limansky joined forces with ShePlace founder Jacki Zehner to build a program that takes networking to a new level, with a focus on collaborative success.

“We believe that social capital is a cru cial ingredient to financial success. What we want to do at ShePlace is provide dig ital and in-person space where people can connect in a way that goes beyond industry and socioeconomic status,” Limansky said. “Research shows when looking at what makes a community vibrant for upward mo bility, what’s most important is friendships that connects people across a socioeconom ic spectrum.”

ShePlace is a network where individ uals and groups can share opportunities and challenges and have the opportunity to coordinate efforts. Approximately 70% of ShePlace members are based in Utah, but the platform includes women+ from 28 states and 13 countries. It encompasses nonbinary or gender fluid individuals and is intentionally inclusive of people that don’t identify on the binary spectrum.

The SheMoney brand gives women the ability to learn about and control financial resources. While money can’t buy happi ness, it can help provide resources like ac cess to counseling services, fitness classes, networking opportunities and more.

Through its custom framework called the 7 Money Moves, SheMoney delves into the actions a person can take with money. Whether it’s spending, saving, investing, protecting, giving, borrowing or earning, SheMoney offers women a chance to un derstand and control their financial security.

By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com

“If we can make a difference in a per son’s financial wellness, that has the poten tial to impact every area of their well-be ing,” Limansky said. “If you can’t afford a therapist or live in a home with access to clean water or take time for a spiritual practice, money has the ability to impact all areas of your life.”

Spend is the first targeted focus of the SheMoney platform and brings together 70 small business owners across 10 categories, including business services, art, food, beau ty and health. SheMoney hopes to inspire conscious spending and intentional support for women+ owned businesses and create social change.

“We started with Spend because it’s something everyone can participate in im mediately,” she said. “If we spent every dollar in a more intentional way to sup port women and people of color, that could make a huge impact in the financial land scape of Utah.”

Historically, Utah has been a difficult place for women economically but the Spend experiment could be the first step to ward addressing change in a healthy, longterm way.

“We hope to be an aggregator of the re sources readily available to business own

ers,” Limansky said. “It’s about economic connectedness among the business own ers and accessing resources like knowing which type of capital is most effective for your business, or understanding when is it time to grow and scale your business.

“Comcast not only provided a cash sponsorship for the launch event, they also

provided a lot of photo and video coverage for this event. That was such an extraordi nary gift and an asset to us as a small com pany just getting started.”

Visit sheplace.com and comcastrise. com for more information. l

At a launch party in November, sponsored by Comcast, SheMoney launched its Spend program to support women+ business owners. (Photo courtesy of The Ahfuas)

Navigating

By Kathie Supiano, PhD, LCSW

The holiday season is nearly upon us. This is the time of year when grieving people often feel dread and sorrow about the very events and traditions that formerly brought happiness.

As every grieving person handles loss in their own way, each one of us observes holidays in our own way in time of bereavement. There simply is no one right way to experience the holidays. Some find meaning in following cherished traditions, and others benefit from avoiding traditions because their associations are now tinged with loss. Some people find great comfort in being with other people, others prefer solitude to camaraderie. For all of us, how we gather is as important as gathering at all.

Plan ahead for the holidays: The first step in planning is to listen to yourself….what will help you most at this time? You may have strong memories and powerful feelings. Accept this as normal, but prepare for it. Anticipate the pleasures and the stresses of events, and select those you want to participate in. If you expect to be lonely, arrange supportive companionship. If you can’t bear the thought of connecting with the entire extended family, let the family know of your needs. Be creative and accept support by using distance technology.

Accommodate your plans to your new limits: Most grieving people have significantly lowered physical stamina and emotional reserve. Perhaps you can’t get every decoration out this year. Accept these limits as temporary, and good enough for this year. Choose to put your energy into the things that matter most to you.

Accept that the holidays will be different this year: The holidays are often filled with unrealistic expectations that may overwhelm you. You may need to revisit your goals and find a balance between continuity and change. Many people find a special comfort in establishing a new holiday tradition that honors the memory of the person who died.

Recognize that other family members or friends may have struggles, too: Look for opportunities to discuss your feelings and wishes with others who may also be grieving for your family member. Try to respect their choices, if they are different from yours. You all may need to make compromises.

If the holidays have always been hard for you: Use this transition in your life to try something completely new…an untraditional-tradition. Perhaps you have never taken the occasion create a new experience on your own. As challenging as loss can be, it can bring momentum to grow and to try something new.

For all of us, whether the holidays are a time of personal significance or not, it can be a season in which we reflect on what we do cherish as we journey through grief.

Kathie Supiano, PhD, LCSW is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing and the Director of Caring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program. Caring Connections is a not-for-profit program that offers clinician-facili tated grief support groups in Utah. 801-585-9522 healthcare.utah.edu/caring-connections

Peruvian Park cut ribbon on new school

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

After supply issues delayed construction for a couple months, the ribbon-cut ting for Peruvian Park Elementary’s new school building was expected Nov. 16, after two days of remote learning. Soon after the March 2021 groundbreaking, the Panthers left their 57-year-old home to continue their learning housed at the former Crescent View Middle School. Students were scheduled

to begin studying Nov. 17 in the two-story school building, which used the same design as Midvalley Elementary, and features natu ral lighting, has efficient heating and cooling and is wired for state-of-the-art technology. Crews were still finishing interior work, in cluding installing glass by the classrooms, just days before the school’s opening. (Julie Slama/City Journals) l

www.LarkinCares.com

When the idea of a fun run fundraiser didn’t excite Sprucewood Elementary students, PTA president-elect and fun run coordinator Brooke Mathews didn’t get flustered. She turned it into an obstacle course fun run.

“The kids wanted to do something different, so I just used some ideas and that my kids love to do and I made it up as an obstacle course,” she said about last year’s inaugural year.

This year, Mathews expanded the obstacle course fun run from seven different courses to nine, changing some of the challenges.

“There are some for more physical strength, some are for accuracy, some are more mental. We incorporated all the senses into each obstacle course and tried to have students use different body parts for each obstacle as well,” she said.

Students could do an egg toss carry, a football throw, cup stacking, several throwing activities, tug of war or sev eral other activities.

The class with the best percentage of donations, Emigh Lo’s second-graders, won a root beer float party, which was held Nov. 11.

Overall, Sprucewood’s 315 students raised about $5,000 which will go toward PTA-sponsored events such as class parties, field trips, ribbon weeks, teacher appreciation, Reflections and other activities, Mathews said.

While the goal was to raise funds, “it’s not always about the money. We want to let kids be kids, to go outside and play and not have something stressful,” she said.

There also was an optional competition area where stu dents had to throw something for accuracy, run a sprint and

course produces fun alternative way to fundraising

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

pull a weight for a certain distance and there was a winner from each grade level who received a pack of Extra gum and a $5 gift card.

“We told the winners, ‘way to go with the Extra mile’ and played off that,” she said.

One thing that Mathews appreciated was having each grade participate on their own so parents could see them or join them doing the activities.

“If the parents or grandparents wanted, they could go and experience the courses with them for 15-20 minutes, having fun and being healthy and active,” she said. “This obstacle course involved everyday activities like soccer, bas ketball, football jump roping and balancing things. All those things contribute to improving your health and they’re hav ing fun being healthy together.”

In addition, Mathews said that “every teacher from ev ery grade” participated.

“I think the most fun part is the interaction and involve ment in the school. Teachers were interacting with kids, getting down and doing the army crawl, walking the plank or throwing a football,” she said. “It just builds a different relationship between the kids and teachers within our school community.” l

Sprucewood students had fun meeting challenges during the school’s obstacle course fun run fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of Karla-Ann Whitaker)

The Salt Lake area isn’t usually thought of as a top food truck destination, but that might now change thanks to a new state law.

House Bill 146 became effective in May and restricts the ability of a city or county to require a separate business license if the food truck owner already has a valid license in another Utah community. In other words, it requires food truck owners to ob tain a business license from just one city— not every single municipality or county they want to operate in. Communities around the state are gradually amending their codes to be in compliance.

Melissa Anderson from the Community Development Department presented related code amendments to the Sandy City Council on Oct. 25.

“In lieu of a Sandy City business li cense, mobile food business owners may submit a business license from another polit ical subdivision in the state,” Anderson said. “The proposed amendments make it easier to operate a mobile food business in Sandy, consistent with a new state law.”

Among other changes, food truck own ers will also not be required to disclose finan cial information or pay additional fees above the actual cost of processing the neighboring business license. The Planning Commission forwarded a positive recommendation, and the amendments were approved at the Sandy City Council meeting Nov. 15.

“The impact will be big,” said Taylor Harris, a founding partner and general man ager of The Food Truck League, a network of gourmet food trucks in Utah. In addition to organizing events, the League works to promote, lobby and advocate for the indus try.

Harris has been part of a four-year-long process begun by then-Sen. (now Lieutenant Governor) Deirdre Henderson and the Liber tas Institute to create a “food truck freedom” law to reduce regulations.

“Sen. Henderson brought everyone to the table,” Harris said. “What was happening was every city was doing a policy that made sense in isolation, but the compounding ef fects—the way we’re organized geographi cally in Utah—it was just killing trucks and stopping them from being able to run their businesses. So, we came up with a frame work, we tried out a couple different things, and that’s evolved over the last several years and we’ve gotten to this place that’s really a happy home where it works for everybody.”

Harris said the original law has been tested and improved to the point where now it has become a model for other states.

A statement on the Libertas Institute’s website says that the new law is fair since other businesses, including catering compa nies, are not required to obtain licenses in each city in which they operate.

Though it will take time for every com

More food truck options in store for Sandy

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

munity to amend city codes to reflect the law like Sandy has, Harris believes it has already had a big impact in the day-to-day business of food truck owners and operators.

“Most of the cities we work with are working on it,” Harris said. “In practice they’re implementing it and working on formalizing it. I think for cities there’s this balance. They don’t want to lose control over protecting their public, and at the same time, they’re busy. They don’t want duplica tion any more than we do. They just want to make sure that everything is safe and taken care of, and I think this law addressed that concern.”

The Food Truck League held its first public event in May 2015 and has hosted events throughout the valley ever since, in cluding Food Truck Mondays at Sandy Am phitheater Park, 1245 E. 9400 South.

“We work with Sandy to do their event at the amphitheater,” Harris said. “It has been a great event, but this will make it easi er to bring a wider variety of trucks in. Now we can pull from all the best trucks Utah has to offer, instead of just the best trucks regis tered in Sandy.”

The League counts over 300 distinct food trucks in its network. Harris recom mends visiting the League’s site www.the

find food trucks all year long.

“Anyone that knows restaurants knows that’s a hard business,” Harris said. “They don’t do it for money, they do it for love. So to give them tools to be more successful is really exciting. And this legislation allows

the regulatory environment to help our cre ators get out there and not get shut down due to signing paper work over and over again.” l

A new city ordinance will make it easier for more food trucks to participate in events like Food Truck Mondays at Sandy’s Amphitheater Park. (Photo courtesy The Food Truck League)

Youth volunteers honored by the mayor and city council

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

The 14 youth in Sandy City Police Department’s Explorer Program were given a special recognition at the Oct. 25 Sandy City Council meeting. Mayor Monica Zoltanski thanked them for their volunteer work on behalf of the city. The mayor and council gave each participant a gift, includ ing flags that were flown at the Sandy City Healing Field.

The Explorers participate in an inten sive law enforcement career orientation pro gram. According to the program’s website, the intent is to educate the youth and build a mutual understanding between them and law enforcement officers. One intended result is to recruit new police officers, or at least in

form the participants about potential career opportunities in law enforcement.

The Explorer Program is open to teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 21. Another requirement is for students to maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average while in high school.

The program consists of classroom learning and hands-on training, with duties that include traffic and crowd control at special events. Explorers volunteered at 36 shows at the Sandy Amphitheater this sum mer. Collectively, the Explorers worked over 3,700 volunteer hours, saving the city around $55,000 in staffing costs. l

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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Soon hundreds of people had tried it. 99% said copper worked if they used it right away at the first sign of bad germs, like a tickle in the nose or a scratchy throat.

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The EPA recommended hospitals use copper for touch surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the spread of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, and saved lives.

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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.

“It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold never happened. I used to get 2-3 bad colds every year. Now I use my device whenever I feel a sign I am about to get sick.”

He hasn’t had a cold in 10 years. After his first success with it, he asked relatives and friends to try it. They all said it worked, so he patented

As thousands more tried it, some found other things they could use it against, including: Colds, flu, new viruses and variants, sinus trouble, cold sores, canker sores, strep throat, nighttime stuffiness, morning congestion, nasal drip, skin infections, thrush, warts, styes, and ringworm.

The handle is curved and textured to increase contact.

Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched.

Scientists placed millions of viruses on copper. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it,” said Dr. Bill Keevil.

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Members of the Sandy City Police Department’s Explorer Program serve as color guard at the Oct. 25 Sandy City Council meeting. (Screen shot from a Sandy City Council meeting)

New research: Copper kills viruses in seconds.

Sandy music studio finds success despite pandemic setbacks

By Heather Lawrence | h.lawrence@mycityjournals.com

When Sandy resident Kristen Wray made her life plan, she didn’t fore see opening her own music studio or winning community awards, though both those things have happened. She minored in music in college and always had a piano student or two on the side, but she started out working as a dental hygienist.

“Word of mouth spread that I was teaching piano lessons in the basement of my house. I also did the choir at the ele mentary school and I’d have parents come up and ask me if I taught. It grew from there,” Kristen Wray said.

As her student roster grew over 25 years, Wray transitioned from cleaning teeth to teaching piano full time. With her daughter Addie teaching voice lessons and a new guitar teacher working with them, by 2020 the Wrays had 90 students com ing through their house each week for mu sic lessons.

Kristen Wray “wanted her house back” so despite her husband John’s ini tial protests, they decided to rent a mu sic studio space on 1300 East near their home. It opened in March 2020—and then everything shut down.

“Three days from the time we moved in here, the Covid pandemic hit and we were not allowed to bring students into the studio,” John Wray said.

The Wrays quickly converted all their lessons to an online format. They weren’t sure what would happen next, but they ended up doubling their number of stu dents.

“These kids were home from school in lockdown and bouncing off the walls. They needed a way to express themselves and process what was going on. Music teachers became another person kids at home could connect with, and music itself is a good outlet,” Kristen Wray said.

After six months of online lessons, they were back in their rented studio. But now it wasn’t big enough.

“We had completely outgrown the space by the time the shutdown was over. So I started thinking about a new space. We found one in the same shopping center that was bigger and could be renovated to fit our needs,” Kristen Wray said.

After months of careful thought and renovations, the Sandy Music Academy had their grand opening in August 2022. It boasts 10 soundproofed practice/teaching studios. There’s a drum studio with double soundproofing, a movement room for re hearsing music theatre and a performance hall that seats 60 people.

The opening coincided perfectly with recognition from the community. In April they won in the Resident’s Choice catego ry of the One Sandy Awards. They were nominated by many people, one of whom

was Chris Mazuran.

“Kristen’s studio has been a great place for my daughter to learn the piano. She actually enjoyed practicing because of the great training and support she re ceived there. They do a great job and I am glad they continue to be an outstanding resource in Sandy,” Mazuran said.

The win made the Wrays want to do even better and keep giving to the commu nity that supported them.

“When we received this award it was very validating. We feel the excitement and the joy from our students,” John Wray said.

As their studio grew, so did their teaching staff. They now offer piano, voice, guitar, drums, cello, violin and oth er instruments. Though lessons are fun and tailored to their students, they have high standards for their teachers. John Wray has taken over the hiring of new teachers, who are all trained at the collegiate level.

Kristen Wray said those high stan dards paired with flexibility and a desire to inspire are what has made them a suc cess.

“We still hammer on method and technique, but we don’t do cookie-cutter lessons where everyone needs to play and master the same thing. I want these stu dents to leave here inspired with music. I want them to have music be a part of

their life for as long as possible,” Kristen Wray said.

Behind it all is a love for music and a desire to help students have music in their lives in whatever way it helps them.

“When I first started, parents would call me because they had heard that I made music lessons fun. We’re flexible and believe that everyone can be inspired by learning music.

“We have older students who have re tired and now have time to practice. They want music in their lives because it brings them joy or keeps their minds sharp. We have students who have autism or are blind and need specially designed instruc tion. Our student body is diverse, and we love that. Everyone is welcome here,” Kristen Wray said.

Kristen Wray loves to see students come running in to see their teachers, say ing they love them and that they are ex cited to tell them and show them things. “It’s more worthwhile and rewarding than I ever dreamed,” she said.

Addie Wray agrees that her mom’s approach is motivating to students and teachers. It has helped them find their niche in the community. It’s time with a warm human being who isn’t on their phone or distracted—they are focused on

their student.

“We’re focused on the individual. We want to make sure everyone knows that they’re unique and special,” she said. “We don’t want to make a cookie-cutter musi cian because everybody’s got something different to bring.”

Sandy Music Academy is located at 10297 S. 1300 East and can be reached by calling 385-342-0198 or emailing info@ sandymusicacademy.com. l

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“It just started with a student in my basement and grew from there,” said Kristen Wray, co-owner of San dy Music Academy. Their new studio at 10297 S. 1300 East opened in August. (Sandy Music Academy)

Sandy Music Academy opened their new space in August, which includes lessons on piano, voice, guitar, violin and more, and a 60-seat performance hall for recitals. (Sandy Music Academy)

Congratulations to our November Members of the Month, Veronica Velazquez, Ruth Velazquez, & Ramon Velazquez! Veronica Velazquez is 10 years old: she wants to become a mom when she grows up, she has been attending the Sandy Club for 2 years, in that time she has learned to be nice and to make friends. Ruth Velazquez is 8 years old: she wants to become a doctor, she has been attending for 4 months, in that time she has learned to listen. Ramon Velazquez is 6 years old: he wants to become a police officer, he has been attending for 4 months, and in that time, he has also learned to listen. Congratulations once again, we are so proud of you all! If you would like to volunteer or make a donation, please call 801-561-4845.

Even though 2022 seemed to last as long

as a 5-year-old reading “Green Eggs and Ham,” the holidays rushed in like a wicked case of intestinal flu. But high grocery prices? Rising inflation? Those things have never stopped Americans from over-celebrating the holidays.

If you’re finding it hard to capture the spirit of Christmas this year, just remem ber the real meaning of the holidays: get ting presents. All those brightly-wrapped packages will bring you hours of tempo rary joy and fulfillment.

I wonder if we have lost our senses, in a very literal way. Maybe if we come back to our senses for the holidays, we’ll stop eating when we’re not hungry, partying when we’re tired and buying a doghouse full of gifts for the family puppy when we’re already overbudget.

Let’s start with the sights of the sea son, like the piles of enticing Amazon box es shoved into hiding places and spilling out of closets. The twinkling lights of po lice cars at the neighbor’s house. The deadeyed stare of a Target cashier and colored globes hanging on the Christmas tree that drops needles when someone walks by.

How about the sounds of the season, like your favorite holiday tunes played by an accordion, or the infinite Mariah Carey

song remix/mash-ups/covers. You’ll hear “Carol of the Bells” so often it becomes part of that nightmare where you’re run ning to get the last LEGO set but you’re wearing furry slippers and keep tripping over elves. And there’s so much jingling!

What does Christmas feel like? A tod dler’s fingers, sticky from a candy cane, leaving pink fingerprints down the hall. Paper cuts from wrapping gifts. Cold, wet toes as you trudge through snowy parking lots and discover a hole in the sole of your boot. Frozen fingertips, runny noses and being bustled by bustling crowds.

The tastes of Christmas include nasti ness like eggnog and fruitcake, but also the sugary sweetness of gumdrops that suction to your molars and must be surgically re moved. Then there’s scalding hot choco late with toasted marshmallows. (Hint: don’t toast marshmallows in the actual toaster. I know that now.)

December smells like cinnamon, cloves, Seussian roast beast and smoke from your overused credit card. I’ve never smelled roasted chestnuts, but I imagine they have an aroma like a wet dog lying by the fire. Real evergreen trees emit the scent of fresh forests while making it hard to breathe for people with pine allergies.

Obviously, it’s easy to get caught up in what’s going wrong with the holidays, without paying attention to the feeling

behind the scenes. When I sit with that emotion, it’s one of peace, generosity, kindness, forgiveness and love. Things Hallmark Christmas movies are always going on about.

What if Hallmark is right? And I’ve never said that before.

Maybe the miracle of Christmas is noticing the small pleasures like when your friend sends you a funny card or your husband brings you a soft, fluffy blanket as you binge holiday movies. Maybe it’s reading stories to your grandkids or listen ing to grandparents share favorite Christ mas morning memories.

More than the senses, Christmas is about time. A time to pause. A time to be still. A time to remember. A time to breathe. A time to be grateful. A time to be with family. A time to reflect with wonder and awe at the beauty of this world.

Coming back to our senses, in a real way, slows time. It reminds us we’re not alone as we move together through these dark nights with bright stars, just doing the best we can.

Peri Kinder is an award-winning hu mor writer, hosts the Life & Laughter pod cast and was voted Best of State for 2022. She’s also a yoga/meditation instructor and life coach.