South Jordan Journal | January 2023

LOCAL POLICE AND JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT WORK TOGETHER FOR NOT IF, BUT WHEN

By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com

Columbine High School. Sandy Hook Elementary. Stoneman Douglas High School. Robb Elementary. St. Louis High School. We recognize these names not because of the stellar standardized testing scores or the outstanding sports seasons, but because at one time there was an active shooter on each of these campuses, and tragedy ensued.

According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, “Incidents are labeled as an ‘active shooter’ when the shooter killed and/or wounded victims, either targeted or random, within the school campus during a continuous episode of violence.”

The aforementioned list of schools are just the incidents that caught media attention, in large part, because of the number of casualties.

According to Everytown for Gun Safety Research*, “In 2022 there [were] at least 140 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 46 deaths and 111 injuries nationally.”

*(At the time this article was written, data was up to date as of Nov. 4, 2022)

While there may be a lot of unanswered questions as a result of these horrific events, at a local level, there have come to be a lot of answers. These answers come in the form of police officer training, and school district collaboration and school compliance.

Police officer training

Officer Shauna Becker has been with the South Jordan City Police Department for approximately four years and

All schools within Jordan School District require visitors to enter the campus through the main office located at the front entrance of the school. (Rachel Aubrey/City Journals)

has been a school resource officer for two of those years at Mountain Creek Middle School. Her decision to join law enforcement was largely prompted by the terrible events that occurred in February 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. She said she was part of conversations after that incident that were, what she called, finger pointing conversations, focused on the could’ve, would’ve, should’ve.

“All of this negativity, and everyone pointing fingers, it made me realize we’re all a bunch of hypocrites,” Becker said.

Becker said that with all of the finger pointing going on, becoming a police officer was her effort to do something meaningful to protect those in her community. As a mother herself, she said that joining law enforcement has helped her to understand that there are other resource officers, on other school campuses, willing to ensure the safety of her own kids.

“And hopefully that gives another mother some peace of mind knowing that I’m at the school protecting her kiddos,” Becker said.

Sgt. Eric Anderson is over the school resource officers within South Jordan City. There are 15 public schools, including 10 elementary, three middle, and two high schools within the city limits. There are currently no SROs specifically assigned at the charter schools or the private schools within South Jordan, however South Jordan Police patrol the areas in and near those schools. Any call made by schools needing officer assistance will be dispatched to an SRO nearby. There are seven SROs within South Jordan City, including Anderson. These are sworn officers who have had at least a year of patrol experience.

If an active shooter situation were to occur on a school campus, the school resource officer is the first point of contact. Anderson said that if a 911 call was made

The data dashboard from the SAFE UT website is updated daily. The app is available for parents, teachers and police to be able to monitor for any potential harm done by or to a student. (Image taken from safeut.org)

by school staff, officers within South Jordan, who share radio frequency with neighboring cities Herriman and Riverton police departments, would respond with great numbers.

“If that level of extreme happens… there is an active shooter in the school…I guarantee that everyone and anyone is going to show up on that type of incident,” Ander-

son said.

While it is a comfort to know that in the event of an active shooter on campus all hands would be on deck, Anderson said that could cause a lot of chaos. The South Jordan Police actively train for mitigation of that chaos, or incident command.

In addition, South Jordan Police has

specific training for school resource officers including Avoid, Deny, Defend, Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, and single man building clearing. While the thought of being shot at could possibly keep them awake at night, officers like Anderson, who has been a police officer for more than 21 years, Becker, and countless others, know

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the risks and are willing to put their uniforms on to protect and serve.

“Even the officers that are not school resource officers themselves, there is not one officer within South Jordan that would not run head first into a school, if need be,” Becker said. “Not one of them would hesitate.”

Jordan School District collaboration

At a district level, board member and First Vice President Bryce Dunford said in his six years on the board, he gets constant inquiries about safety, often from parents, wanting to know if their kids are safe at school. His message is that Jordan School District is taking all necessary measures, directly and indirectly, to work and partner with local law enforcement to ensure students are safe at school.

“I think parents would be very surprised to know how close that relationship is between the police departments and the school district,” Dunford said. “And everything they have asked us to do, we’ve done.”

Dunford said that when a report comes out about an active shooter on a school campus, such as Uvalde, Texas, Jordan School District personnel consume and examine every inch of it in an effort to ascertain how ready they are for when something similar happens closer to home.

“Safety has been the one thing where we [the board] have just been the most united,” Dunford said. “Very few people show any hesitance in doing something to make students safer.”

Dunford did, however, express hesitancy on giving away too many details about the specific preparation the district has in place. However, on Oct. 11, 2022, during a weekly school board meeting, which is available to the public, Deputy Chief Ken Wallentine, along with Lieutenant Richard Bell, both of West Jordan Police Department, were invited to engage with the board about the unique and ongoing collaboration between the police and the district.

Early in the conversation, Wallentine highlighted a specific example of collaboration that is currently in place, the use of SAFE UT, an app created “through bipartisan legislation in response to Utah’s unac-

ceptably high youth suicide rate,” according to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The app is monitored by the district as well as the police department for tips about potential threats to students, teachers and staff.

“I do have a deep and abiding commitment to the schools of our community,” Wallentine said. “That commitment is also to the collaborative effort [the police department] enjoy with our schools.”

School resource officer training was brought up during the board meeting as well, specifically active shooter training.

“I am confident law enforcement in Jordan School District is very well trained,” Dunford said.

Wallentine made it a point in the meeting to emphasize that often, police do more than just enforce rules and laws. Sometimes the duties and responsibilities encompass emotional and mental needs as well as phys-

ical safety.

“We do our best to have our officers be seen as something other than the enforcer,” Wallentine said.

More than just a police officer, Becker is a familiar face in the school and a safe point of contact for students. She cracks jokes with the middle schoolers, or she will be on elementary campuses and may sit and color with the kids during a DARE activity. Those simple interactions, according to Becker, could be students’ very first interaction with law enforcement.

School compliance

Even if there were enough personnel and funding to allow for a SRO at every school campus, the district has found ways to allow for infrastructure to be more secure. Beginning in 2018, Bingham High School underwent major renovations including fresh

paint, new HVAC, ADA approved ramps and elevators and a renovation of the main office entrance. These renovations continue to happen in phases.

According to Bingham High School Vice Principal Art Erickson, there are more than 40 possible entrances into Bingham. While these entrances are to remain locked from the outside during school hours, forcing all those who want to enter to come through the main office, it is entirely possible for a door to be propped open for the purposes of convenience.

The tragedy in Ulvade, Texas started with a door. A door that had been propped open for a time, had been shut but not locked, thus allowing the shooter access to the school. Wallentine and the board acknowledged and addressed this in the board meeting with Emergency Operations Manager, Lance Everill, as a possible breakdown in safety protocol.

Also mentioned in the Oct. 11 meeting were whether or not alarms should be adopted for propped open doors. With approximately 2,500 students at Bingham, there are students and staff coming and going at all times of day.

“Because of the ability we have for students to access part of their school day curriculum outside of the just being on campus proper, there is a need to allow them to come and to go,” Erickson said.

Rather than alarms, Erickson said he would love to see more full-time hall monitors who are able to interact with the students and who monitor halls for things like propped open doors. Another concern for Bingham High were dead spots within the school, areas where radio signal strength was subpar. According to Erikson, those issues have been addressed at Bingham.

“In our world, in law enforcement, we always train for not if, but when,” Anderson said.

To access the Oct. 11 board meeting recording visit https://jordandistrict.org/board/ meetings/.

For more information and statistics about school shootings in the US visit https://k12ssdb.org/. Note: in July 2022, the K-12SSDB became an independent, nonpartisan research project that is not affiliated with any institution or agency. l

A door propped open may be convenient for students who are late to class, but could also be a breach in campus safety. (Rachel Aubrey/City Journals)

SOUTH JORDAN 2022

Clockwise: Bingham celebrates a run scored by Luke Leatherwood during the region clinching win over Riverton. (Photo by Pat McDonald)

Council Member Jason McGuire of District 5 taking the Oath of Office along with Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey. (South Jordan City)

South Jordan resident and founder of Footsteps for Africa Austin Cameron walks around the school grounds with students from the Oshamukweni School in Namibia. (Photo courtesy of Footsteps for Africa.)

AAI animal and veterinary science students help at a mobile pet clinic to provide the community with lowcost vaccinations for their pets, like Nico, seen here. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Jett Johnson sits in the pumpkin that helped him win the championship race during the Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta. (Photo courtesy of Jason Yeaman)

John Mack of South Jordan said his height of 6 feet 5 inches often gives him an advantage when doing certain obstacles on the ninja course.

Rep.

Sierra Lichtie looks to maneuver her away by the Riverton defense for two of her 16 points. Lichtie, who signed to play at Cal State East Bay averaged almost 17 points per game. (Photo

Clockwise: Ariana Clark of South Jordan Elementary was excited to receive a ribbon after her race at Sports Day competition at Herriman High School. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

(Photo by Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

Jordan Teuscher speaking at the Support for Ukraine rally, with wife Aliona and daughter Madeleine.

by Pat McDonald)

Princess Sophie Menzer and her X-Wing Fighter at Daybreak’s Soap Box Derby race. (Photo courtesy LiveDAYBREAK)

Mayzie La Bird takes advantage of Horton’s loyalty when she leaves her egg in his care during South Jordan Elementary’s production of “Seussical the Musical, Jr.” (Photo courtesy of Alex Grazier.)

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

When former White House photographer Pete Souza was in fourth grade, he taped a photo from the New Bedford Standard Times on his closet door.

It was soon after the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into the presidency with Jacqueline Kennedy by his side aboard a plane that would fly to Washington, D.C.

“For whatever reason, I was transfixed by the images that came out,” Souza recently told a standing-room only auditorium at Salt Lake Community College’s Grand Theatre. “There was something about the still image that even as an 8 year old, I was struck by enough so that I taped these pictures to my closet door. I know that the photograph taken by Army Capt. Cecil Stoughton, one of the two military photographers assigned to the Kennedy White House, became probably the most famous official White House photograph ever.”

Little did he know then that he found his future career. It took Souza enrolling in a photography class during his junior year at Boston University to realize “it’s what I wanted to do. It was magic to me.”

Souza, who photographed Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama during their presidencies, began his career shooting for the Hutchin-

son, Kansas newspaper. He moved on to the Chicago Sun Times, where amongst his assignments, he was to photograph the campaign of Harold Washington, who in 1983, became the first Black mayor of Chicago.

That same year, Souza received a call from a former photo director at the Kansas

City Star, where he was turned down for a job. She invited him to join the White House photography staff during the Reagan era.

“One of the things I used to tell my (Ohio University) students was, ‘don’t ever piss anybody off professionally because you never know how they’re going to help you some

day,’” he said. “Being an official White House photographer was an amazing experience. Documenting the presidency for history, in a lot of situations, I was the only photographer in the room.”

He recalled covering Reagan when he greeted wounded Marines in 1983 after a terrorist attack in Beirut; watching the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, all four summits with Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev; the Iran-Contra scandal; at the hospital following his wife Nancy’s breast cancer surgery; and even, joining him on vacation.

“He and Nancy would go to Camp David every weekend and ride horses and here he is helping her from a horse,” Souza said as an image projected on a screen behind him. “The idea is that you’re making photographs, not for the next day’s newspaper, but for the National Archives. Every single picture that I made during both during the Reagan administration and the Obama administration are now at the National Archives.”

Souza not only took the photos of the serious moments of the commander in chief, but also, the lighter ones.

“I’m trying to humanize them as much as possible. This is Reagan at a hotel in Los Angeles,” he said referring to another image. “I walked into the hotel room where he was staying, and he was folding a piece of White House stationery into the shape of paper airplane. He looked up at me and he’s, like, ‘I’ll be right with you.’”

Then, Reagan flew his official White House stationery paper airplane off the hotel deck.

After Reagan left the White House, Souza freelanced for several publications, including National Geographic. Then, as a national photographer for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was among the first photojournalists to cover the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks; he did so by joining the local Northern Alliance soldiers and crossed the Hindu Kush mountains by horseback in 3 feet of snow. Also, while at the Tribune, Souza was part of the team who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for explanatory reporting on the troubled air traffic system.

In 2004, Souza served as the official photographer at Reagan’s funeral. It was during the flight from Washington, D.C. to Reagan’s final resting place in Simi Valley, California that he realized then he had never seen any pictures of JFK’s casket being flown from Dallas to Washington, D.C.

“Cecil made the decision not to be on the plane with JFK, but to take this film to a lab there in Dallas, get it processed, and get that picture sent out to the world. I can’t imagine trying to make that decision because my instinct would have been you got to be with the President on that plane. Cecil probably chose the right thing to do, but I don’t know that I

After his presentation, former White House chief photographer Pete Souza signed his books for students and the community at Salt Lake Community College. (Photo shared with City Journals)

would have been able to make that decision,” Souza said.

That same year, while working for the Chicago Tribune, Souza was documenting newly elected U.S. Sen. Obama. He recalled Obama’s first D.C. office in the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, with no windows or anything on the walls.

“People already were talking about that someday he might be a national candidate and I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be a great contrast photo if he ever makes it.’ The thing that struck me so much about that first day was that I’ve just met the guy, and I’m in his personal space, photographing as he’s having lunch,” he said, pointing out in his photograph that Obama’s young daughter Sasha was eyeing part of the uneaten sandwich. “It’s as if I’m not even there. He’s just more about his businesses. I’m about my business. For a photojournalist, that’s the kind of stuff that you want, right? Somebody who’s just going to do their thing while you’re doing it.”

Souza went on to become the chief official White House photographer.

“I was able to say to him, ‘Look to do this job the right way, I need unfettered access’ and he agreed. My goal was to create the best photographic archive of a president that had ever been done,” he said.

Souza captured moments, which now the world can see on his Instagram posts.

He has moments that highlight the passing of the Affordable Care Act to same-sex marriage, from the president receiving the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama singing “Amazing Grace” as an eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in 2015 in a Charleston church shooting. He also shared photographs of Obama touring the 9/11 Memorial Museum while under construction and visiting the firehouse where 18 firefighters died during the twin towers’ collapse.

Souza snapped historic moments.

He photographed Obama visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in South Africa; reflecting at Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial as the first Black president; sitting on the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man; and joining in the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Souza’s lens not only saw the occasions that marked Obama’s presidency, but also personal times, when Obama and his wife have a quiet moment in a freight elevator or intertwining their hands on a boat rail in the Gulf Coast. His photographs show the president playing in the snow with his daughters, intensely coaching daughter Sasha’s basketball team or getting zapped by a 3-year-old boy dressed for Halloween as Spider-Man—all which audience members chuckled at as stories were shared.

“I would use quiet cameras, usually one with a wide-angle lens and another one with a short telephoto lens. I had a knack for being unobtrusive. President Obama, in his memoir, says I had an ability to remain invisible. I don’t think I was invisible, but I think I was able to blend in so much so that I became part of the presidency. I could go right behind him and

show things from his perspective and do it in a way not to disturb anybody,” he said.

Perhaps the first of two of the most emotional photos, Souza said, is when Obama and all the national security team were gathered inside a small room within the Situation Room complex in May 2011. Souza took a spot opposite of the officials who were watching a screen that showed Special Forces on the ground raiding the Pakistan compound of Osama Bin Laden, who claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“You’ve essentially got all the most important people in the executive branch of our government all jammed into this room and there’s nothing they can do. They are powerless in this moment because it’s totally up to those Special Forces guys on the ground. You can imagine the tension and anxiety,” he said, recalling that Obama quietly took a place in the corner. “As soon as they had Bin Laden, and the helicopters lifted off from the compound in Pakistan, everybody started filtering through. The reaction was very subtle. There was no high fives, no cheering.”

A second poignant photo Souza shared was when Obama gave a hug to the Wheeler family who just lost their 6-year-old son Ben during the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

“The worst day (of Obama’s presidency) happened five weeks after he was reelected. That morning, John Brennan, his homeland security adviser, came upstairs saying there were reports of a shooting at a school in Connecticut,” Souza said, looking at a photo he snapped at the time of the president “reacting as a parent.”

Before Obama spoke to the nation in the press briefing room, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It was the first time Souza had ever seen him do that.

“I think he was worried he was going to

lose his composure. Later that afternoon when he went up to residence, Malia had just come home from school. He latched on to her and wouldn’t let her go,” he said to a noticeable collective sob in the audience.

As Souza looks back, and shares his firsthand account through books he published, talking and having his photographs been displayed globally, and being featured in the 2020 documentary, “The Way I See It,” he knows his experiences are making an impact on others as it did himself.

“I realize how lucky I’ve been when I look back and see how much I’ve been able to witness, especially considering I did get a D in U.S. history,” Souza said, adding that history lessons when he was in school lacked stories and pictures. “There were some days where photographing at the White House was like watching paint dry. But when things were happening, there’s no other place I’d rather be than documenting things as history is unfolding. That was a great honor and privilege to be there.”

During his visit, he also met with SLCC students where he gave the advice to “go out and make pictures every day because that’s how you’re going to get better.” Souza said that because he had been a photojournalist prior to the White House, he was able to “anticipate and recognize moments—and that’s experience more than anything.”

SLCC Humanities Associate Professor Claire Adams said students came to know Souza as a storyteller as well as a photographer.

“His conversation was really informal and came from the storytelling angle as well as the more technical questions from our photography students,” she said, adding that each student received an autographed copy of either his No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” or his recently released

book, “The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency.” “It’s apparent that it’s the dignity of the office that he cares about, not politics. He highlights it through his eyes and through his literal lens.”

Adams said that her Honors 2100 Intellectual Traditions class had watched portions of the documentary preceding his visit and was reviewing his presentation.

“The theme of that class is storytelling specifically. Pete Souza is a really good resource to use in terms of artifacts that we look at in the humanities, such as literature, photographs, art, music. His photographs are definitely something I’ll continue to use in classes,” she said, adding that students and the community took advantage of seeing his “Obama: Intimate Portraits” display at SLCC’s George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Art Gallery.

SLCC Provost for Academic Affairs Clifton Sanders also was drawn into Souza’s photography and storytelling.

“He was captivating,” Sanders said. “The way that he was able to chronicle history through the photographs and give a little bit of information that no one would know other than him being there in those moments. The pictures are very compelling, but the stories really give depth to the pictures. I just got a sense that he was the person for that time in history. He’s really down to earth. There are no airs about him. What you see is really what he’s like. I can really appreciate that the way he documented and is sharing the history for us all to gain insight and witness it through him.”

The annual Tanner Forum on Social Ethics, funded in part by the O.C. Tanner Co., has hosted about 20 speakers from journalists to scientists “to encourage the community to learn more about the world and encourage us to think more critically about issues,” Sanders said. l

While being chief photographer at the White House, Pete Souza captured personal moments of the presidents, including Barack Obama being a dad, shooting basketball with his daughters. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Even after losing five players to graduation, Bingham girls hoops is turning heads

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

Last year’s Bingham girls basketball team ended up sharing the Region 3 title with crosstown rival Herriman. But this season, the Miners don’t seem to want to share anything with anyone.

When Brighton came into The Pit on Thursday, Dec. 1, the Miners chipped inside the paint at their visitors to the point that one of Brighton’s players was whistled for a technical in the third quarter for slamming the ball into the floor in frustration. Junior Mata Peaua sank her free throws and the Miners dug in for a 62-56 win.

Bingham [2-0] started the season Tuesday, Nov. 29 with a convincing 65-54 win at American Fork.

“The team is looking good after week 1 with 2 wins to start the season,” said head coach Skyler Beard, who is heading into his third season in charge of the Bingham women team.

“We have a great core returning and have added some very talented players who have come into the program,” said Beard of Peaua, one of his new additions.

Peaua is leading the Miners in scoring in the two games they’ve played, averaging 13 points per game. Junior Brianna Badonie [13 ppg] is the team’s sharpshoot-

er with four three-point shots and fellow junior Uma Tukuafu [12 ppg] has been a force inside for Bingham.

Last year, when the Miners got to the 6A state tournament they surprised some people, and then made a run all the way to the 6A quarterfinals.

For a Miners team that lost five of the players that made that surprising run toward the 6A quarterfinals, they’ll be relying on that trio of juniors along with seniors Hallie Bayles and Sarah Broederlow at the guard positions and two-sport volleyball athlete, junior Vani Key-Powell.

Other players to watch that played in all 25 games last year on that 17-9 Bingham team include senior Ane Henderson and junior Sophie Curtis. For Beard, his goal is to make sure the Miners get better, each and every day.

“We’re looking to stack days and get better each day. Goal is to continue to improve and compete every day,” Beard said.

Bingham continued undefeated in preseason play at press time with a 58-34 win at Layton on Dec. 6, and then was at The Pit for games on Dec. 9 [58-53 overtime victory over Syracuse] and Dec. 13 [59-42 win over Skyline]. l

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

Brianna Badonie was averaging 17 points per game through Bingham’s first five games. (Travis Barton/ City Journals)

Inclusivity increasing as more area high schools support unified sports and activities

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

Hillcrest High School junior Kori Carmona Lopez wants to win, the same as any high school student-athlete.

“It’s my favorite part, of course,” she said.

Carmona Lopez, who plays unified soccer and basketball, bonds with her teammates.

“The best part of being a unified player is having helpers and making and being friends with them. I just love it,” she said. “We hang out, walk the mall, watch movies, do anything. They asked me to join LIA (Latinos-in-Action) so I’m doing more at school now. I just went to the Salsa-Salsa party; it was fun.”

That is a welcomed outcome, said Courtnie Worthen, manager of Special Olympics Utah’s Unified Champion Schools, that promotes a three-tier approach through unified sports, inclusive youth leadership and whole school engagement.

“The best things are the inclusion, the friendships they create, how the athletes are celebrated and are included in school activities,” she said.

Inclusion is increasing in area schools. When Worthen joined the Special Olympics staff four years ago, there were about 15 schools. Now, it’s “pushing 100.”

While Special Olympics encourages inclusion in all schools, a noticeable difference is seen in high schools. Brighton High Principal Tom Sherwood said it’s important.

“Everybody benefits,” he said. “We want our school to be a microcosm of our communities. Our special needs students don’t just make up 10 to 15% of schools; they make up 10 to 15% of our population. Inclusion needs to start in schools. The more we can learn to understand each other, the more it expands our humanity.”

Unified sports are a catalyst, Worthen said.

“Training and playing together often leads to friendship and more understanding,” she said.

Unified sports empower individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to play together, promoting inclusion through training and competition. Whether it’s sharing the ball in soccer and basketball or passing the baton in a track relay, students are participating in unified sports from elementary school to the professional level with Real Salt Lake’s unified team.

While the Utah High School Activities Association partnered to bring unified sports into high schools in 2012, a big push came two years ago when Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox cheered on the high school unified soccer teams in the state championship games at Real Salt Lake’s stadium. Previously, state was played on a high school field.

“The First Lady, as part of her initia-

tive ‘Show Up,’ came on board and gave us a bigger microphone to share our mission. People started to notice and see what unified sports is and can be and they want to be a part of it,” Worthen said.

At this fall’s unified state soccer championships, Miss America Emma Broyles sang the national anthem, and Miss Utah Lindsey Larsen and RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath joined her to award medals.

Last year, the unified state basketball tournament was held at Weber State University, which attracted college and semi-professional mascots and cheer squads to join high school cheerleaders in supporting the athletes. Unified track this year will be included in the state track and field meet at Brigham Young University.

Unified Champion School’s College-growth Coordinator Boston Iacobazzi said 37 high school unified soccer teams competed this fall and estimates 56 teams will play basketball in March.

“We’re looking at having three unified team sports and three unified individual or pair sports per year,” he said. “We have soccer, basketball, swimming and track and field right now; we’re deciding which sports to possibly add.”

Brighton, which won a state unified

basketball title last year, also has students compete in unified soccer and has individuals on the swim team.

“If we truly believe high school sports add value to students’ educational experience, why wouldn’t you want as many students who are able to participate? It’s a very authentic experience and opportunity for everybody to benefit,” Sherwood said. “It’s a win-win.”

Jordan teammates sophomore Xavier Steggell and junior Cael Sieverts played together this past soccer season.

“It’s great to get to do sports and support each other,” Sieverts said. “We spend time practicing and hanging out together.”

Steggell added that it’s competitive, yet fun.

“We’re getting to enjoy the sport for the pure fun of it,” he said.

That’s what six-year Hillcrest High unified coach Shannon Hurst appreciates.

“I like the joy little things bring to the athletes, like kicking the ball or dribbling it down the field or court,” she said. “It offers perspective. Those little things bring so much happiness. The more buy-in and getting involved as faculty, with support from admin(istration) and our community, the bigger it has grown and been accepted.

That’s important. They deserve the same kind of recognition, the same programming and the same support.”

Iacobazzi, who completed his student teaching for his college degree at Alta High, reignited unified sports at the school.

“Being a coach gave me a different experience than being a partner,” he said. “As a unified partner, I was there to have fun playing alongside the athletes. As a coach, I’m teaching them how to be inclusive, playing together. What helped was the partners. A lot of them were peer tutors in the classroom. Alta’s girls’ soccer team taught a bunch of drills, and some of those girls just kept playing with the team.”

Iacobazzi didn’t grow up playing soccer. He first was a peer tutor, then his first soccer experience was playing for his high school unified team, under Hurst, when Hillcrest represented the nation at the 2018 Special Olympics USA games. Iacobazzi helped gain momentum with forming Real Salt Lake’s unified team.

In a state qualifying matchup, Alta played against Murray High, who eventually became state champions. Murray brothers Braedon and Turbo Domiguez played in the championships and their parents, Kim and Dean, witnessed their gold medal win.

Hillcrest High freshman Khloe Buchanan assists senior unified player Lupe Aspeitia dribble the soccer ball during the state playoff games in September 2022. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

“This program gives our kids a chance to get out and participate,” Kim Domiguez said. “As special needs’ parents, we spend all our time when they’re little trying to teach them the basics—how to eat, how to talk to somebody, how to interact. We’ve missed out on our kids growing up playing soccer and basketball, so this has been really nice to feel like a soccer mom. We brought our cooler full of Gatorade, our canopy and chairs. This is our time to cheer for our kids.”

That feeling of “belonging” stretches to the athletes on the field.

“These kids are there for each other. They cheer for everyone. It doesn’t matter which side you are on. They’re excited for everyone to score and have that success. They still want to win, but they want everyone to have fun,” Domiguez said, adding that high school cheerleaders also cheer for every player at all schools.

Her husband said learning skills and translating those in a game has given his sons confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

“On the field, they learn key concepts of the game that you practiced with them, so when they get the goal or they get the stop as a goalkeeper, you can see that moment of joy when they see they ‘got it,’” he said.

Domiguez agrees: “It’s that love of sport and team in their eyes. It’s the same for all athletes. They will raise their arms, jump up and down, dance. They just light up.”

Parent Misti Smith watched her son Ashton play on Hunter High’s unified team.

“Our children would not get these opportunities if it wasn’t brought into the schools,” she said. “I would never have known that Ashton even liked soccer or basketball, but these opportunities came, and I’ve watched his competence and confidence grow. He feels like a rock star when he comes to these games.”

Hunter parent Christie Rasmussen was cheering on her daughter Whitney, who made the first goal of the state semifinals.

“My daughter is making friends that she necessarily probably wouldn’t ever had if it had not been for this program,” Rasmussen said, adding that now Whitney is a cheerleader for the Wolverines. “Because of this, our gen(eral) ed(ucation) kids come and cheer.”

That happened at the recent regional soccer tournament Hunter hosted when students came with their classes.

“When they cheered, these kids saw their faces there for them. It’s building the camaraderie between the students and making our athletes feel like they’re actual Hunter Wolverines and that they have a place here,” Rasmussen said. “It’s (partner student-athletes) who we parents thank God for because they’re angels on earth and make our kids feel like somebody.”

She credits unified sports as the spark that is extending more opportunities to special education students.

“Because of this team, it has pushed our faculty to realize our kids have these abilities that can be extended. Our theater teacher got approval for them to perform an adaptive mu-

sical,” Rasmussen said, adding that Whitney was cast as Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” which was performed in early December.

Last spring, Hunter students pledged to be inclusive by signing a poster that hung in the school and many students participate in the unified class taught by PE teacher and unified coach, Ashley Ellis.

Ellis said after-school practices aren’t feasible for everyone, so she created a unified class following the lifetime activities curriculum.

“I wanted our students to participate in unified sports, and thought, that’s a way to get more kids involved,” she said, starting with sharing with the partner students the history of Special Olympics and the goal of inclusion.

Together, they introduce different sports’ skills.

“As a PE teacher, I saw those kids come into our regular PE classes, and they were not as successful as they could have been. To flip the script and make the class for them and with our regular ed students helping them, it’s changed the playbook so they can be successful,” she said, adding often those partner students join the school’s three unified sports teams. “It’s been the greatest thing. Other schools may think this class is a big daunting task, but the benefit far outweighs any work. Through unified sports, they enjoy sport at its purest form. Unified takes everything that is good about sports and celebrates it.”

Hunter’s unified class is held before lunch.

“Everybody goes into the lunchroom together; they eat together and they’re all laughing. Before, many of them didn’t, they weren’t sure where they fit. Now, that inclusivity flows into other areas of our school,” she said.

Many schools have peer tutors who help

students with disabilities be successful.

“They are their buddies who escort them to places, provide support and help them integrate with the rest of the kids,” Sherwood said, adding last spring, Brighton’s peer tutors organized a prom designed for about 50 students with severe cognitive or physical disabilities.

At Murray High, peer tutor Farrah Baldwin said she’s “there to help and answer questions, but not to do it for them.”

Her classmate Kendall Bridgewater is a peer tutor in a foods class.

“When these kids with disabilities go into gen ed classes, others get to understand the things that are easier and harder for them to do and that helps everyone be less judgmental and more just willing to get to know them,” she said. “Plus, with cooking, they’re learning a life skill and I’m getting to learn it too. The other day I learned there are five different ways to cook an egg.”

Both seniors are part of Murray High’s Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization that supports inclusion through friendship and leadership. Murray’s club activities stretch from making slime to pumpkin bowling to hosting a Friendsgiving. Plans are underway for a friendship walk in April.

“Everyone in the club knows they have a buddy and can hang out together,” Baldwin said.

Bridgewater is on board: “I want to be a person they can come to in the hallways or see outside of school and know they have a friend.”

Club adviser and unified coach Jessie Agiriga said they’re building an inclusive school environment.

“We want our community to realize everyone has a place where they belong, they are heard, and they are seen,” she said. “Our

club officers, who are both special education students and their peers, plan and organize activities for the school. As a result, our students naturally pair up to form friendships.”

Throughout the state, special education and general education students have paired up to serve on Special Olympics’ Youth Activation Commission where, as school leaders, they learn how to spread inclusion in their school, said Iacobazzi, adding at February’s youth summit, students will discuss the unified generation and how to empower peer leaders.

Special Olympics Utah CEO Scott Weaver explained that each step builds.

“We’re hoping they feel valued as an athlete and they’re seen as part of their school’s athletic program; they’re getting the attention at a pep rally and having fans in the stadium waving the flags and banners for them,” he said. “By having the opportunity to belong to a club, they’re impacting the school as leaders. The third part is whole school inclusion.”

Schoolwide activities have ranged from inclusive assemblies and themed spirit days to Disney Days and fitness challenges.

In addition to Unified Champion Schools, Worthen said two high schools recently were added to make four Utah schools who have met and are sustaining 10 requirements to qualify as national banner schools. Hillcrest, which earned the recognition in 2019, is the only one in the area.

Sherwood said inclusivity benefits both the school and the community.

“As schools start down the road of being as inclusive as they can and provide opportunities for all students, people are going to see the value,” he said. “Once you see it, then you’ll never turn back.” l

Above left: In May 2022, Jordan High unified track teammates pass the baton during the 4x100 relay at the state meet. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Above right: At the regional qualifying basketball tournament in March 2022, Hunter High sophomore Angelly Velas shoots a basket to help her team qualify for the state tournament. (Julie Slama/City Journals)

Paradigm Academy launches athletics programs at its new charter school

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

It was the culmination of a 15-year vision to launch Paradigm Academy in 2022, according to information found on its website.

To that end, the charter school in South Jordan also launched an athletics program starting in September.

“Sports are a great way to keep our scholars active and help their academic growth,” said the school’s athletics director in a release. “There are many benefits to having a sports program, such as team opportunities, confidence boosts and the ability to learn critical life skills.”

For Paradigm Academy students, there is a co-ed cross-country team along with separate teams for boys and girls volleyball in the fall.

Their volleyball teams finished the regular season with a 1-8 record on the girls side, while the boys had a 2-6 mark. Both advanced to the state tournament for most of Utah’s charter schools, known as the Utah Schools Sports Association.

The girls Patriots team won their firstround match against Spectrum Academy by the score of three sets to one. They advanced to play in the quarterfinals of that tournament according to the USSA Website.

On the boys side, the Pats swept Uintah River of Duchesne three sets to zero in

the first round of the USSA State Tournament and also advanced to the state quarterfinals.

In the winter, basketball was offered for boys and girls. The other sanctioned sport that the school offers during the school year is soccer, which will begin in April and continue through May.

All of the Paradigm Academy teams offer a two-day camp tryout to students who are interested in making their teams.

“Our try-out process will be similar to a two-day camp style where scholars will be able to showcase their skills. After the camp is over, coaches and staff will come together and make their decisions,” stated information from the release found on the school’s website at paradigmschools.org.

Though teams may have to limit the number of participants on any one team, the school stated in its release that it is committed to finding a place for all to play, regardless of ability.

“We do believe that all scholars that want to be involved should be allowed to participate. Along with our sports team, we will continue to offer intramural sports. This allows our scholars to practice and continue to develop their skills.” l

Paradigm High boys volleyball coach Ryan Chapman hopes to continue to grow the Patriots program, particularly as the sport will be sanctioned by the UHSAA. (Photo courtesy Ryan Chapman)

Jordan Education Foundation raised $75K for student shopping spree

Photos courtesy Jordan Education Foundation

Hundreds of teens who may have gone without gifts this holiday season got an early Christmas thanks to a caring community and the Jordan Education Foundation. The Foundation raised $75,000 to provide a holiday shopping spree for more than 500 students in need throughout Jordan School District at their annual “Christmas for Kids” event.

On Dec. 10, the students partnered with volunteer chaperones who took them shopping at Walmart in South Jordan for everything from clothes and boots to beds, comforters, warm coats, and more. Every student got to spend $150.00 on holiday gifts. Santa Claus was there to spread some holiday cheer along with firefighters, police, and city leaders. l

Bingham football earned a Region 3 title, trip to

Rice-Eccles

with teamwork that showed up in the stats

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

When Eric Jones was hired last January, he was following a high school football coaching legend in Dave Peck.

It would have been easy for Jones in his first head coaching position, after having been a defensive coordinator under Fred Fernandes at Roy, to have gone separate ways from his mentor.

Instead of parting ways with Fernandes, however, Jones invited his mentor to come along for the ride with him at Bingham and be the offensive coordinator and associate head coach.

To Jones’ surprise Fernandes accepted, and the rest is history. Together, Jones’ play calls on defense along with Fernandes’ expertise on offense made the Miners tough to beat.

The Region 3 title they shared with Riverton last year was won outright this season by the 10-3 Miners, who made their first trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium in five years, and advanced to the 6A semifinals.

But none of that could have been accomplished without the help and buy-in from the players themselves.

Offense

On the offensive side of the football,

the first thing Fernandes did was not mess with the throwing mechanics of senior quarterback Dallen Martinez, who is a two-sport athlete with a primary focus on baseball.

Fernandes instead enhanced the playbook for the senior, turning Martinez into more of a Lamar Jackson-type for sake of comparison—similar to how Fernandes molded Parker Kingston into a dual-threat QB at Roy. [Kingston is now at BYU.]

After Fernandes did his darnedest, according to Jones, making Martinez something that he wasn’t, he created a playbook that best suited Martinez’ strengths.

One, it was apparent at summer camp that the senior could lead, and so he was named a team captain.

Two, it was apparent to Fernandes through the summer that Martinez was more dangerous as a passer when his feet weren’t set—which is similar to how he threw a baseball while he was on the run.

Finally, his scrambling ability and athleticism were “off the charts,” according to Jones, and so the two of them went about finding creative ways to include Martinez in just about every play-call.

Martinez threw for about 1,500 yards

Q & A Business Spotlight

Tribal West Lacrosse was started in 2002 by Brett “Fish” Bartlett, as the premiere destination store for all your lacrosse needs. With uniforms, helmets and protective gear, plus an 8-foot tall bubble gum machine retrofitted to put out lacrosse balls, Tribal West is the best lacrosse store in the western states.

Fish started coaching lacrosse in Utah in 1996 with a travel team and became head coach at Jordan High School in 1997, where he coached for 10 years.

Q: What sets your company apart from the competition?

Our in-store shooting cage has a radar gun that displays how fast the player throws. It also allows athletes to try different sticks and pockets to find the perfect equipment. We create custom-strung sticks with individualized mesh and colors, game-ready in 24 hours.

We offer team discounts and fundraising opportunities and work with Intermountain Lacrosse to outfit more than 350 players each spring and fall. We also provide vending for tournaments across the Intermountain West.

Q: Does your business solve a problem for your customers?

When I started coaching, players couldn’t find a place to buy equipment or uniforms, or get equipment repaired. As the sport grew in Utah, I decided to open a full-time lacrosse store.

It’s been a fantastic ride, watching the sport double and double again and again over the past quarter-century.

Q: Who is your ideal client?

Tribal

Girls and boys who play lacrosse, ages 5-18, as well as college and club players.

Q: How do clients find you?

New players usually find us by word of mouth. Once they’re on a team, with people who’ve been here before, they come visit and become part of the Tribe Experience which means friendly employees who are passionate and knowledgeable about the sport. People are always surprised that our prices are lower than expected.

Q: Why should clients come to your store?

First, they’re supporting a local business. Plus, online

stores don’t stay open late to make sure your kids' sticks are ready for an early game. We didn’t open to be rich and retire, we opened to grow the game and have a place players could call their own.

Customers are basically family. They come watch a lacrosse game in our lax lounge, talk about games and rules of yesteryear and try out new products and tech.

Q: What else should readers know about your business?

My wife Soni has been an integral part of Tribal West Lacrosse. She was the first paid full time employee of Utah Lacrosse Association and started the girls high school lacrosse team at Jordan High, winning four straight state championships. She was also the first women’s head coach at Westminster College.

Lacrosse is such a great community to be a part of. It goes well beyond playing, coaching or reffing. It’s a way of life. We’re a unique and diverse group of individuals who love team play, bettering ourselves and giving back to our community.

Eric Jones, hired last January, led the Miners to a Region 3 title and a semifinals trip. (Photo by Pat McDonald)

out to three key receiving threats: senior Maddux Peck, junior Carson Sudbury and senior Havea Fotu. Peck led Bingham in receiving touchdowns with five as well as in receptions [36] and had 549 yards. Sudbury led the Miners in receiving yards with 590 and had four TD receptions while Fotu had 210 and three.

On the ground, though, was where the Miners chipped away at defenders, often leaving giant holes for opponents to climb out of. The Miners had three players gain more than 700 yards this season, and again it was Sudbury who led the way with 16 rushing TDs on 134 carries for 758 yards.

Fotu was the top ground-gainer for the Miners, with 849 yards on 126 carries [10 rushing TDs] while Martinez ran for 793 yards and 11 TDs. None of that, however, could have been done without help from Bingham’s massive offensive line, who opened those holes for the backs to run through.

“First, we had a great O-Line and a phenomenal OL coach,” said Jones. “Second, Coach Fernandes did a great job scheming to our strengths and distributing the ball to our best skill players.”

Defense

On defense, the way the Miners got the job done changed from week to week—and drive-by-drive, even.

“Some weeks took a few drives, a quarter, or even a half to finally adjust the defense in a way that allowed us to make enough stops to give our offense time to strangle

the clock and grind teams into submission,” said Jones, who was in charge of creating the game plan for the defense as its coordinator.

“We didn’t have any dominant standouts that we leaned on every week. Instead, I felt like we played well collectively,” added the first-year Bingham head coach. “The kids were very receptive to in-game adjustments. Every week brought a new challenge, a new scheme to defend, and quality coaches who challenged us.”

If you wanted to look at the defense by the numbers, it was the McBrides who led the way for the Miners, as senior Kaden McBride had 85 tackles from his linebacker spot. Tyson, a junior, had 63 tackles as well as one sack and two interceptions—one of which clinched Bingham’s trip to Rice-Eccles in the 6A quarterfinals at home against Lone Peak.

Senior Cameron Mamalis closed out his four years with 81 tackles from his spot at DB and had an interception, while senior Cooper Valencia had 79 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pick.

The sack-master was senior Ben Latai, who had eight to lead the Miners along with 41 tackles and an interception. Second to Latai on that list was senior Garrison Stewart with four.

But over 80 players had a hand either directly or indirectly in the Miners’ success on defense and special teams.

On special teams, junior Kole Francom connected on six field goal tries for Bingham, and split the uprights on 44 attempts. l

Dion Fue was part of Bingham’s revamped offense under offensive coordinator Fred Fernandes. (Photo by Pat McDonald)

College and career options fueled by in-depth JATC courses

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

W

est Jordan High student Nick Perez is currently working with a team of students to design and build a drone. They design the parts on the computer and then print them out on 3D printers and laser cutters and then solder the parts together. When complete, the drone will be evaluated by industry professionals who will send the top designs on to state competition.

Perez hopes his team’s drone does well in the Technology Student Association competition because he hopes to someday start his own drone company. He is gaining the necessary skills by taking advanced engineering classes at the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers. He takes the bus from West Jordan High to the JATC for a half day of classes.

Competition projects are part of the curriculum at the JATC, which offers 27 classes in engineering, health sciences, information technology, skilled and technical sciences, teacher education and agriculture.

Bingham High senior Liberty Warner registered for classes at the JATC because of her interest in architecture.

“I wanted a real hands-on experience of what the career would be like, and this is more in-depth than the classes at Bingham,” Warner said.

She has been impressed with everything she has learned.

“What I like about this class is that you can see the full product,” she said. “After we’ve worked on the structure and the waterways and everything that goes into a building—you learn it all separately—but then eventually, at the end of the quarter, we put it into a big project altogether.”

She is currently working on a project for a TSA architecture competition, designing an assisted living space as a virtual model and then as a physical model with fellow student Copper Hills High senior Buck Edenfield. Edenfield said competitions are his favorite part of JATC classes. He serves as vice president of the JATC TSA club; Warner is the president.

Industry professionals serve as judges to decide which projects will move on to competitions, which is very motivating, Warner said.

“It’s the opportunity to compete with your work rather than just turn it in,” she said. “We’ll be able to present to professionals, and so they’ll be grading us. It motivates us to do better on our project so that if they are impressed, then they can refer us to a job.”

JATC students compete in several student association competitions. JATC South Campus CTE Coordinator Tami Clevenger said JATC students usually place in the top three at state and top 10 in nationals.

Last year, 25 JATC students went to TSA nationals, four went to SkillsUSA nationals and six went to HOSA nationals. JATC students swept the Nail Technician categories, placed first in Game Design and took top

awards in Web Design at the SkillsUSA state competition. At the Educators Rising competition, they earned five first place spots at state and had three students finish in the top 10 at nationals. The JATC robotics team won TSA state and national competitions and a JATC student placed third in the nation for her FFA agriscience fair project.

In addition to the opportunity to compete, many students take JATC courses to prepare for college and careers.

“Every student has different needs and goals,” Clevenger said. “Some students take a program so they can work a higher paying or more flexible job while they put themselves through college after high school. Other students want to get a taste of what a career will be like, or they may have multiple career inter-

ests they want to explore.”

Riverton High senior Alyssa Hoggan loves science and wanted to see what it meant to be a scientist. Through JATC’s biotechnology and medical forensics classes, she discovered she enjoys the work. She said the classroom experiments are realistic, such as the lab in which she compared fibers found at a crime scene to solve a murder case. She feels confident she’ll be able to get a job in the industry out of high school while going to college.

Many students follow their passion to JATC courses. Riverton High senior Brooklyn Ashcraft loves plants—she has about 80 at home. She hopes to turn her passion into a career in the field of ecology, studying the relationship between plants and the environment. She took a few agricultural classes at Riverton

High and then attended the JATC for the more advanced and hands-on classes.

“Instead of sitting at a desk and listening to the teacher talk, you actually get to do hands-on learning,” Ashcraft said of her JATC courses.

Horticulture instructor Sydnee Roholt said students also learn the business side of the industry through real-world applications.

“We will do a lot of business concepts,” she said. “Whether students go into owning a landscaping business or a floral design as a hobby, they get real world experience.”

Students grow plants in the JATC greenhouse, selling poinsettias and cacti to the public each December and holding a flower sale in spring. They learn about pricing and marketing. Horticulture students take on responsi-

Clockwise: Students digitally design a drone and then 3D print, laser cut or purchase the parts to build it. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Students learn flower arranging, pricing and marketing in advanced horticulture classes at the JATC South Campus. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

JATC student ambassadors give Sunset Ridge Middle School students a taste of what skills they can learn in JATC pharmacy classes. (Photo courtesy of Mandi Jensen.)

bilities as manager, marketer or planter in the greenhouse, which Roholt said prepares them for employment.

“They’re learning how to hold a job and how to present themselves and how to finish tasks in a given amount of time,” she said. “When they leave, they have job experience in a greenhouse.”

JATC classes also provide opportunities for students to make connections with professionals and industry representatives who are invited to be guest speakers for classes or judges for student competitions.

“We’ve had a lot of opportunities to go and tour different facilities, we usually try to do a couple of field trips and then bring in professionals as much as possible,” engineering instructor Noelle Schick said. “We’re really trying to connect students to real world engineering as much as possible, so that what they’re learning in this class is directly applicable to what they would be doing when they go on to their future in engineering.”

She said as the engineering program and its reputation has grown, more companies are approaching her to arrange internships with students, including two engineering companies and a drone company.

Some students don’t have to wait until the end of their program to turn their skills into a job.

Once engineering pathway students complete a CAD class, they are qualified to work as drafters and get experience in the field and earn a good wage as they finish high school and attend college. Students taking biotechnology classes earn state certifications that help them qualify for jobs. Biotech instructor Mary Carlson said many of her former students have gone on to internships and jobs in fields such as chemistry and bioinformatics, and one student even got an internship in Australia.

Even JATC students who don’t pursue jobs in the field come away with employable skills.

Schick said engineering students learn skills that make them more employable in any career, such as working with others on group projects, creative problem-solving, presentation skills and confidence.

“By the end of the class, I want to build their confidence in being able to solve any problem by knowing where to look for the resources and figuring out that they are capable of solving problems,” she said.

Schick left an engineering career to become a teacher.

“I really like engaging with the students,” she said. “And I think engineering is a really fascinating field of study because you get to learn about the world around you and how it works. So I love transferring that excitement about understanding how things work to the students and seeing them get excited to learn about it as well and apply what they’re learning about the world around them to make it better.”

In addition to being licensed teachers, many JATC faculty members have real-world

experience in their subjects. South Campus Principal Sonja Burton-Juarez said this is what sets JATC classes apart from CTE classes offered at high schools.

“Really, the main difference is that most of our teachers come from industry occupations,” she said. “They have worked in a chosen profession, and they have chosen to come and teach our students. They want to share their real-life knowledge with our students.”

JATC’s faculty includes fire sciences instructors who work for Unified Fire Authority, hair and nail instructors who own their own salons and aviation teachers who are pilots. There are health science, criminal justice and engineering instructors who worked in the professional field before becoming teachers.

While some CTE courses are offered at high schools, JATC offers introductory and more advanced courses. For example, the introductory Engineering Principles class is offered at three Jordan District high schools with the same curriculum. However, JATC students have access to high tech equipment including laser cutters, and, thanks to generous parent donations, several 3D printers, including PLA, resin and (in the near future) carbon fiber printers for the 3D design assignments.

“They can create a product and then actually see it, from green models on their screen to an actual part,” engineering instructor Amber Saffen said.

The JATC offers advanced engineering pathways in aerospace and drones, architecture, civil engineering and construction, or

robotics and electronics for students who want to get more technical knowledge in specific fields.

“Kids who come to the JATC, a lot of them have a very clear idea of what they want out of the experience and I really love facilitating that,” Saffen said. “They know what they want but they don’t always know how to get there, so I love being able to give them the resources and set them on the path and help them figure out the in between steps to get to where they want to go.”

Like a high school, JATC has student leadership positions (called ambassadors) and school activities. Both campuses recently hosted a Halloween carnival and holiday activities such as turkey bowling and Christmas ornament decorating. The nails and hair design students demonstrate their skills with a fun Halloween-themed showcase in the fall and a fashion show in the spring. Landscape architect students design a haunted house in the fall.

JATC students are still able to be fully involved at their high schools. Edenfield said even though he spends much of his daily schedule at the JATC, he still has time to be involved at Copper Hills High.

“I’m in mathematics club as an officer and I’m in chess club, as well,” he said.

The JATC programs continue to grow and add new classes. The biotechnology program expanded this year to include the medical forensic class, which has become one of the most popular courses at the JATC South

JATC open house

Jan. 26 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. At both JATC campuses: North Campus 9301 S. Wights Fort Road in West Jordan

South Campus 12723 S. Park Avenue in Riverton.

Applications for 2023-24 courses are due by Feb. 28. Go to www. jordantech.org for program information.

Campus. The engineering program has quadrupled course offerings in the last two years for a total of 22 credits.

Students earn high school credits in science, CTE or elective requirements as well as college credits for JATC classes. Currently, 60% of JATC’s classes offer concurrent enrollment credits.

The JATC staff members and student ambassadors work with middle school and high school counselors to get the word out to students about what the JATC offers.

“It’s always a shame when we talk to seniors and they’re like, “Oh, I would have been in pharmacy tech if I would have known but I had no idea,’” North Campus CTE Coordinator Mandi Jensen said.

There will be a JATC open house held Jan. 26 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the JATC North Campus, 9301 S. Wights Fort Road in West Jordan and at the JATC South Campus, 12723 S. Park Avenue in Riverton. Parents and students can check out the campuses, tour the classrooms and speak with the instructors.

Applications for all JATC courses for the 2023-24 school year will be given equal consideration when received between Jan. 3 and Feb. 28. Applications and more information can be found at www.jordantech.org. l

Kole Tengberg, Alyssa Hoggan and Austin Wells work on a lab experiment at the JATC. (Jet Burnham/ City Journals)

Nick Perez solders a motor for a drone he and his classmates are building for a student competition. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Bingham boys basketball team lost six seniors to graduation, but hope to be ready once region starts

By Brian Shaw | b.shaw@mycityjournals.com

After seeing their season come to a close at the 6A quarterfinals last year, the Bingham boys basketball team will start over.

After winning the Region 3 title outright with a 22-3 record last season, the team was expected to rule the 6A state tournament. But the hot streak came to a halt against a 15-10 Westlake team.

This year, the Miners are a somewhat raw team with a lot of inexperience and a few new faces on varsity, but they face an unenviable task, said head coach Kyle Straatman.

“We have won 3 region championships in a row and have a goal of trying to make it 4 in a row this year. It is going to be very difficult this year with a very tough region.”

This season, Bingham [0-3] has started the preseason experiencing typical growing

pains, having lost so many players to graduation. On the plus side, the Miners do return 6-foot-8-inch senior forward Brayden Whitehead who in his three games played has shown some size and versatility.

Whitehead leads the Miners in scoring at 14.9 points per game, pouring in 15 points and six rebounds in a 51-87 loss to Corner Canyon in the home season opener, Nov. 22. He had 19 points to lead Bingham at Real Salt Lake Academy [51-76] in a Nov. 29 loss, as well.

In the Miners other loss to Fremont [5373] on Dec. 1, they were led by junior Gabe Sivulich with 16 points and senior Carson Bagley, 13.

This preseason schedule should have the Miners ready by the time Region 3 play gets underway in January, but it’s a tough

one. They’re at home to Farmington on Dec. 6 before hitting the road for games at Ridgeline [Dec. 13] and at Cyprus [Dec. 15]. So they’ll have their work cut out for them, said Coach Straatman.

Others who will likely be key contributors are senior KJ Jenson and junior Stockton Tueller, who have averaged about five points per game for the Miners.

“We are a very inexperienced team but are a very scrappy group,” said the fourthyear coach, who has been going in at 6 a.m. every morning so that several players can get up shots before school starts on their two shooting machines.

“This team is fun to coach because they show up every day and work very hard to get better. They also are working very hard in the weight room and have really bought

into the team concept and do not care who gets the glory.”

With Whitehead leading the way along with several other players, these Miners aren’t just building a team—they’re continuing that long-standing tradition of Miner basketball that dates back decades.

“We have great leadership on this team, and they are doing a great job picking up where last years group left off with continuing our Bingham Brotherhood culture,” Straatman said. “We play one of the toughest schedules in the state which will help us get ready for our region.”

Correction: Last month’s South Jordan Journal incorrectly included two players that are no longer with the Bingham High boys basketball team. l

Herriman girls basketball starts season strong

Photos by Justin Adams | justin.a@thecityjournals.com

The Herriman girls basketball team has a hot start to their 2022 season, thanks to some aggressive defense and hot three-point shooting.

After winning their opener on the road against Fremont, Herriman played their home season-opener against Cyprus on Nov. 29, 2022. The Mustangs shot the lights out on their home floor, as they connected on most of their three-point attempts along the way to a 28-2 first quarter lead which Cyprus was never able to overcome.

The three-point barrage was Kylee Cheesman, Mariah Mons and Haley Stilson. l

Haley Stilson shoots from three-point range during the Mustangs’ win over Cyprus. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

Left: Kenlee Enger gathers the ball before going up for a layup against Cyprus. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

Above: Kennedy Brown scores a layup against Cyprus. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT - Public Notices

SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILD FIND

SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS DESTRUCTION

On January 31, 2023, Jordan School District will destroy special education records of students born prior to September, 1995. Former special education students who are 27 years old may request their records from the school last attended; otherwise, the records will be destroyed.

CARSON SMITH SCHOLARSHIP

Public school students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may be eligible for a scholarship to attend a private school through the Carson Smith Scholarship program. Further information is available at https://www.schools.utah.gov/

From the people who brought you Syncrete, nepotistic construction contracts and the ThrU Turn fiasco intersection, comes a mind-boggling project guaranteed to be unnecessary and over budget: the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola.

The Utah Department of Transportation isn’t known for its rational, effective projects. It spent years studying the LCC traffic situation before making the wrong decision, but at least they didn’t go with the Little Cottonwood zeppelin.

Color me unimpressed with UDOT. Take 5400 South. Please. I travel this road every day and I know UDOT doesn’t understand east-west travel. Going from my home in Kearns to the I-15 interchange in Murray includes nearly 20 stoplights along that 7-mile stretch and I usually hit every. single. one.

There was a legend that if you drove exactly 42.3 mph, under the light of a full moon, you could travel 5400 South without stopping at one red light. Not true.

I blame my road rage on UDOT.

So, let’s talk about the gondola. With UDOT approving the nearly $600 million project, it must have overwhelming support. Nope. Local mayors, residents, environmental groups, Bigfoot and county leaders don’t want this to happen. A majority of the tens

of thousands of public comments are against the gondola.

Just a hair short of sketchy, Snowbird quietly bought land that could (will) be used for the gondola station at the base of Little Cottonwood. When the time comes, Snowbird will sell or donate (ha-ha) that land to the state.

Hikers, fishermen, sightseers and climbers don’t want the gondola. They don’t want to ride the entire length of the gondola system if their destination isn’t a ski resort. I guess UDOT could add a base-jumping experience if you want to parachute out of the gondola halfway up the canyon. But it will probably have an extra fee.

Measuring 8 miles, it will be the longest gondola system in the world and includes nearly two dozen towers, averaging 185 feet high. That’s about 17 stories. UDOT said the towers will be placed up the canyon by helicopters, like they’ll gently rest on the forest

floor where tree roots will wind around the base to hold them down, becoming part of the natural landscape.

No. Each tower will have a huge concrete base, requiring boulders and trees to be demolished. Not only that, but construction could disrupt animal migration patterns, pollute the watershed and highlight UDOT’s decision-making legacy.

UDOT explored options like rideshare programs, electric buses and road tolls that are less invasive, especially when trying to solve a traffic problem that only happens a few days a year. But those alternatives aren’t expensive and ridiculous, so that was a “no” vote from UDOT.

When you factor inflation, the project’s cost will be about $72 gajillion, paid for with “mystery funding” which we all know usually means “taxpayer dollars” in some fash-

ion. Even if you’ve never skied a day in your life, your tax dollars will probably help pay for a system designed by ski resorts, for ski resorts.

We’ve riddled this country with aging infrastructure. Obsolete railways, cables, steel and wiring lie unused and rusting. When the gondola becomes outdated, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be stuck with the awful towers standing forever in the sacred space of Little Cottonwood.

UDOT’s track record is abysmal. I remember when it spent $700,000 to remove the stupid ThrU Turn on 5400 South. UDOT said the intersection wasn’t a mistake, just unnecessary.

That could be UDOT’s tagline: Building unnecessary mistakes. l

Peri Kinder Life and Laughter