April 2022 | Vol. 09 Iss. 04
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GOLDEN GATE CLUB FOUNDER HONORED BY STATE PTA FOR MAKING DIFFERENCE IN STUDENTS’ LIVES
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By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
W
earing a black-and-white “Stay Kind” Golden Gate club shirt, Bingham High’s hall monitor was honored at the Capitol with the inaugural Utah PTA Forces for Good award. Jo Ward stood in front of a crowd, including more than 100 students who would sing one of her Golden Gate songs, to address students. “It’s so important that kids understand you are the future, and as I look out over all of you, it gives me hope because we need forces of good in our schools, in our communities, in our homes,” she said. “We need kindness. Kindness can heal the world.” Ward, who is known fondly in the Bingham halls as Momma Jo, was preparing a presentation of “The Power of a Smile,” part of the core fundamentals of her club, when her parents nudged her and said, ‘You’re getting an award.’ “Kids were coming in, and the way the capitol echoes, I didn’t hear it because I was in the back,” she said. “I knew we were having a program; I didn’t know it was an awards program. It’s just an honor being able to do what I do. It’s all about loving kids.” The state PTSA student committee nominated those in the community who set an example as a force for good, said Todd Hougaard, Utah PTA student leadership commissioner.
“They hope others can see what a force for good really looks like and they can try to emulate it,” he said. “If anyone knows Jo, she’s always bubbly, always excited, always smiling.” That’s not only who she is, but what she stands for, Hougaard said. “There’s a statewide SHARP survey (Student Health and Risk Prevention survey given every two years to measure substance use, anti-social behavior, and the risk factors that predict adolescent problem behaviors),” he said. “And one thing that we learned is students need to feel connected to their school, to their friends and family, because when they’re not connected is when they do risky behaviors. Golden Gate that Jo started is a great program for helping students feel connected.” The Golden Gate club started in 2016 when 417 students signed the pledge. It began after Ward and former Bingham High Assistant Principal Mike Hughes saw firsthand the power of Continued page 5 After six years, more than 80,000 students have signed the pledge of the Golden Gate Club, which Bingham High hall monitor Jo Ward started; she recently was honored by the state PTA for being a “Force for Good.” (Julie Slama/City Journals)
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