March 2018 | Vol. 4 Iss. 03
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HOW ICE CREAM HELPS MELT DOWN LIMITATIONS By Natalie Mollinet | natalie@mycityjournals.com
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hris and Heidi Neilson, a family here in Sugar House, knew that getting a job for their son, Jack, who has special needs, would involve them taking the task into their own hands. “So, what happened is that we have a son who went to Highland High School and was in the VIP program which is a program for kids with special needs,” Heidi said. The program helps students with special needs experience jobs after high school and then helps them find a job. For Jack though, he didn’t have a job and his parents knew he needed a job. So, with the help of a friend, the Neilsons heard of an ice cream shop in Dallas, Texas called Howdy Homemade, a store where special needs employees worked. “We emailed Tom Landis, the owner of Howdy Homemade in Dallas and said we’d really like to come see your store and see what you do,” said Heidi. So, the Neilson family did just that. They were impressed enough that they knew this is how they were going to get Jack a job. So, they bought the licensing rights to Howdy Homemade Salt Lake City. Things happened quickly after that and within six months, Howdy Homemade was open for business on Labor Day. The location of Howdy Homemade is at 2670 South and 2000 East. The Neilsons were in luck as the owner of the coffee shop that was there before Howdy was looking to get out of the business. So, the Nielsons transformed a coffee shop into an ice cream shop and it’s been a hit ever since—and not just in the Sugar House community. “It’s been amazing, a lot of tears have been shed as families come in here and see what is going on at Howdy Homemade,” Heidi said, talking about families who have children with special needs. “And really, we all have special needs, and when given a chance we can rise to the work.” Heidi said that families who have children with special needs ask when they’re going to open another store in Farmington or
The queen of cosplay
Lehi since Howdy Homemade in Salt Lake and Dallas are the only two in the country right now. Almost all the employees at Howdy have special needs and they all love their job and aren’t afraid to share their favorite ice cream or help you out with that recommendation. “It feels more inclusive and more at home, and you don’t see the special needs,” Heidi said about Howdy Homemade. “Everyone is on the same level here.” Now, every Monday and Wednesday morning, Jack is ready
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Patrick, one of the Howdy Homemade employees, and Heidi help customers get some delicious ice cream. (Natalie Mollinet/City Journals).
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for work. Because he’s non-verbal, Jack helps with the set up in the mornings and clean up from the night before and never has to be told to work or be ready, he just wants to. “I hope it gives other people the inspiration to do the same, even if they only hire one employee with special needs they have so much potential and they can do so much,” Heidi said. “We put limitations on people a lot and even on ourselves and for us to open an ice cream shop? I never thought I’d open an ice cream shop.” l
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S ugar House City Journal
Girls on the Run teaches character development first, then running By Lori Gillespie | l.gillespie@mycityjournals.com The Sugar House City Journal is a monthly publication distributed directly to residents via the USPS as well as locations throughout Sugar House. For information about distribution please email circulation@mycityjournals. com or call our offices. Rack locations are also available on our website. For subscriptions please contact: circulation@mycityjournals.com The views and opinions expressed in display advertisements do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by Loyal Perch Media or the City Journals. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the owner.
The Sugar House Team CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Scott bryan@mycityjournals.com EDITOR: Travis Barton travis@mycityjournals.com ADVERTISING: 801-254-5974 DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: Ryan Casper ryan.casper@mycityjournals.com 801-671-2034 SALES ASSOCIATES: Melissa Worthen melissa@mycityjournals.com 801-897-5231 Tracy Langer Tracy.l@mycityjournals.com 385-557-1021 CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: Brad Casper circulation@mycityjournals.com EDITORIAL & AD DESIGN: Ty Gorton and John Guertler
Heidi Moreton, executive director of Girls on the Run, prepares bins for coaches. (Lori Gillespie/City Journals)
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pring is in the air, and for many people that means getting outside to run. For the coaches and participants of Girls on the Run Utah, it means that and more. Starting March 12, girls from all over Utah will spend time each week developing leadership and team skills which will culminate in a 5K run in Sugar House Park on June 2. Girls on the Run is a national organization that began 22 years ago and now reaches more than 200K girls each year. The program got its start in Salt Lake City 11 years ago with two schools— Rowland Hall and Mountain View Elementary. “After the first season it just took off and we haven’t stopped running,” said Heidi Moreton, executive director of Girls on the Run Utah. “Even though our name suggests it, we are not a running program,” she said. “Our objective is in character development, first and foremost. Our mission is to bring girls joy and confidence through an interactive curriculum. We want the girls to set goals for themselves, work together as teams and then to work together in their community and give them the skills and toolset to lead healthy emotional and physical lives.” The Girls on the Run program follows a researched curriculum, which is regularly updated. The program, which runs each spring, starts by focusing on the girls as individuals. It helps them discover who they are and what they want to achieve. The next section moves into teamwork, and teaches them about bullying, healthy choices, and what healthy relationships look like. During the community curriculum stage, the girls decide as a group on a community impact project and they
figure out how to make it happen. The running is intermixed throughout the program and helps them understand goal setting and achievement. The three-month program ends with the 5K and draws 6,000 people either running or watching. “The 5K really shows the girls that they are capable of completing hard things,” added Moreton. This year the nearly 300 Utah coaches will coach 150 teams across eight counties. The coaches are trained on the curriculum during coaching sessions held in February along with some online training that is mandatory. Each coach gets a bin full of the lesson materials, running incentives, water bottles and cones. They also get an $100 gift card, so they can buy healthy snacks for the girls. Maddie Bossarte, a Girls on the Run junior coach and a sophomore at Judge Memorial High School, is starting her eighth year in the program. “I started in a new school in third grade and didn’t know anyone. My parents encouraged me to join so that I could make new friends. Because of Girls on the Run, I discovered that being active is fun, and that I love running.” As Bossarte aged out of the program, she wanted to give something back. “I like the Girls on the Run community because everyone is always so positive and happy. Coaching makes me feel like I am a role model for these young girls. I definitely want to be a junior coach the next few years and then work toward being a coach.” The program helps to create friendships and break down barriers. All the girls wear the same T-shirts when they come together each week and
the curriculum is inclusive. “There were girls who came into the program saying that they didn’t have any friends before joining Girls on the Run and now they see their teammates in school every day. The program brings them together and breaks down cliques and other negative girl behavior,” said Moreton. This year’s program runs March 12 through June 2. Each of the 1,900 girls gets a running buddy, a mentor by her side to help her cross the finish line. It’s all about coming together so they can see everyone doing the same and learn that it’s okay to be whoever you are. Moreton added, “A little over 60 percent of our audience is low income, and to see all these walks of life, and to see the dads running with their daughters in pink tutus, it is a really cool, diverse group who come together in Salt Lake. It truly brings all walks of life together in such a healthy place.” Girls on the Run also offers summer camps for young girls. Also, this year they are branching out to include women in their first Women’s Wellness Event that will be held on April 14 at the Blair IHC education center in Park City. “The Women’s Wellness Event includes life coaching activities. We are expecting around 150 women and our theme for the day and the year, ‘Actually, I Can.’ Proving that everyone can overcome situations in their life to make things happen, no matter how big or small the dream may be...” said Moreton. More information can be found at girlsontherunutah.org l
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Page 4 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
The many faces and characters of the queen of cosplay
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Nicole Stephenson is most well known for her Harley Quinn cosplay. (Photo courtesy Nicole Stephenson)
By Natalie Mollinet | Natalie@mycityjournals.com
osplaying is dressing up as your favorite comic book or movie character and acting like them while at a Comic-Con event or other convention. One local Sugar House cosplayer combines two of her loves—sewing and comic books—to create fantastic costumes for these events. Nicole Stephenson is a graduate from Highland High and is currently at the University of Utah studying for a degree in information technology. When she’s not studying, playing games or video games, she’s at her sewing machine perfecting the newest look for the next convention. “I was really interested in sewing as a kid,” Stephenson said, “and I taught myself how to sew. I really love reading comic books and around the age of 10 I had an epiphany that I could use sewing skill to make comic book-themed costumes for myself for Halloween.” Stephenson started off by making a Harley Quinn costume and after every year she would revamp the costume taking it to a different
level from assorted styles from Batman. She didn’t know anything about cosplay until she was about 12 when she heard about the San Diego Comic-Con while at a comic book store where she was a regular. Through that store she attended that Comic-Con and worked for them at their booth while she was there. “San Diego Comic-Con has some really dedicated comic book cosplayers,” she said. “That’s really one of the only Comic-Cons where you’ll see the comic book characters who aren’t well known.” Stephenson once cosplayed the part of a supporting character from the Thor comics, Lady Sif, it was only at the San Diego Comic-Con that people knew who she was. At the Comic-Con here in Salt Lake City, she never plays as a character that is not well known. Stephenson now has over 50 costumes and has a storage unit for them. She usually starts her cosplays the day after attending a convention and can take anywhere from a month to six months to finish. She tries her best not to buy anything premade because it’s cheaper to make everything herself. She has seen some cosplays cost as much as $600 online. With all of her cosplays does she have a favorite? Stephenson said, “My favorite comic
book cosplay is the Lady Sif costume I did from that specific issue (of comic book). My favorite video game cosplay is Samus Aran in her Varia suit from Metriod Prime 3.” “Staying in character all day and committing to wearing the costume all day is the hardest part,” she said. “I’ve definitely worn some comfortable cosplays that aren’t an issue, but sometimes you have large armor or props that you have to haul around all day and go to panels and events in.” Some of her cosplays have weighed up to 40 pounds. Believe it or not, people do make cosplaying into a career choice, traveling the world to show off their works of art and acting like the character in different places. Stephenson said she would love to make that her career choice. “I’d love to be a professional cosplayer, but I’d also be more than happy to make cosplay armor and props for other people. It’s a hobby that takes a lot of time and dedication.” “Start off with something easy and work your way up,” Stephenson recommended if you’re interested in cosplay. “Don’t make it a huge project at first, just make something easy to start and enjoy it.” l
18 Westminster U.S. Ski & Snowboard Student-Athletes Named to Team USA By Krista DeAngelis and Arikka Von Westminster Marketing and Communication Office Westminster College congratulates its 18 U.S. Ski & Snowboard student-athletes who were named to Team USA and competed in South Korea in February. The athletes represented the United States in events like giant slalom, moguls skiing, snowboard cross and Nordic combined. Westminster is the Official Education Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the national governing body for competitive skiing and snowboarding. Athletes train at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, while studying 30 minutes away at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Together, Westminster and U.S. Ski & Snowboard help national athletes achieve excellence in the classroom and on the slopes. More than 140 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have attended Westminster College since the partnership began in 2005. The average GPA for all Westminster U.S. Ski & Snowboard students is 3.6. While they all compete in snow sports, they’re individually earning degrees and exploring varied passions like art, entrepreneurship, physics and biology. They balance intense training schedules and rigorous coursework with inspiring determination. “I think the type of person that I am — and most athletes are — is a little type-A,” said Megan McJames, U.S. Alpine Olympic Team member and Westminster finance major. “We like to do our best at everything. When you’re pursuing your best in sports, those skills translate into school and vice versa. As an athlete, school has been a great outlet for me to take a break from thinking about skiing all the time and realize there is other stuff out there. It has given me skills that translate into making me who I am.”
The 2018 Team USA members from Westminster College include: • Maddie Bowman (freestyle) • Jared Goldberg (alpine) • Abby Ringquist (ski jump) junior, biology sophomore, undeclared junior, art • Bryce Bennett (alpine) • Faye Guilini (snowboard) • Morgan Schild (freestyle) first-year, undeclared junior, accounting first-year, undeclared • Ryan Cochran-Siegle (alpine) • Devin Logan (freeskiing) • Liz Stephen (cross-country) sophomore, physics sophomore, communication first-year, undeclared • Alex Ferreira (freestyle) • Wiley Maple (alpine) • Brita Sigourney (freestyle) sophomore, finance sophomore, history & psychology junior, business • Bryan Fletcher (Nordic) • Megan McJames (alpine) • Darian Stevens (freestyle) junior, health education junior, finance first-year, business • Taylor Fletcher (Nordic) • Madison Olsen (freestyle) • Jacqueline Wiles* (alpine) sophomore, marketing sophomore, business first-year, undeclared *Named to Team USA but was injured before she could compete.
Facts about Westminster’s U.S. Ski & Snowboard Students:
• Thirty-three U.S. Ski & Snowboard alums have graduated from Westminster • Currently, 52 student-athletes are attending Westminster • More than 140 student-athletes have taken classes at Westminster • Westminster students have competed in two previous Winter Olympic Games: o 2010 Vancouver o 2014 Sochi 14 students 23 students One bronze Two gold, one silver, one bronze • U.S. Ski & Snowboard students compete in a variety of competitions throughout the year, including X Games, FIS World Cups and Grand Prix events Visit www.westminstercollege.edu/us-ski-and-snowboard for final scores and more information.
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Cross-stitching custodian shares talent with students
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eber Stohel started cross-stitching 21 years ago. He had a girlfriend at the time who cross-stitched, and he wanted to give her special gift, so he learned how to cross-stitch on the sly. He stopped seeing the girlfriend not long after he completed that gift, but found a love for the art and has continued to cross-stitch ever since. His projects are large and he takes special care to frame them all himself. Often these projects take months to complete. Many of his projects require the use of a special loom, one that can roll up part of the fabric in order to work with it more easily. He enjoys sharing his creations. He made many pictures for his mom, who passed away six years ago. She wanted Heber to have them back after she passed but they were lost. He recently found them with the help of his brother. A favorite is one of a fairy with wings that contains over 1,000 beads in the stitching. “I did one design once for the girls’ basketball coach at East High School when I worked there. I took a picture of a basketball standard, brought it down to scale to fit on my canvas. It had the backboard, the hoop, the net, and then stitched the names of the kids and the coaches and gave it to her as a gift.” For 10 years, Stohel has entered his art in the Utah State Fair and has won multiple
By Lori Gillespie | l.gillespie@mycityjournals.com
awards. Stohel currently is the night custodian at the Open Classroom, a charter school which is part of the Salt Lake City School District. The Open Classroom is a K-8 school and depends on parent participation in order to function. Many parents share their skills and talents by teaching elective classes to the 6th-8th graders. Elective classes have included cooking, mock trial, photography, pottery and community service projects. When the teachers and students discovered that they had an awardwinning cross- stitcher in their midst they knew they had to ask him if he would share his talent. Stohel was happy to work with the kids. “Heber comes to share his talents with our kids all on his own time, which is appreciated,” said Chantelle Murakami, a teacher at the Open Classroom. He had never taught anyone how to cross-stitch before so he was nervous at first. However, he now loves teaching the kids. The goal is to have the kids display their projects for the school’s art stroll in May. “I think they are doing fabulously,” said Stohel. He takes special care to answer their questions, test their knowledge, and offer suggestions. Stohel has become a positive member of the community, someone everyone appreciates.
“Heber is very engaged with the students and parents in the school which is not always something you see with custodial staff,” said Christine Marriott, the Open Classroom principal. “He takes special interest in the school and sees it as a special place for kids and families. He shows how much he cares by checking in with the kids and gives them high-fives and encourages them at the end of the day. Unified teachers, parents and staff are essential to a student’s school experience so they feel cared for, Marriott said. “Heber is a great example about how a staff member can really add to the learning experience for kids,” said Marriott. Stohel has been a part of the Open Classroom community for a few years and he doesn’t have any plans to leave. “When I started working at the OC, I didn’t know anything about it,” said Stohel. “I had retired a few years earlier from a head custodian position and came back to work with the district as a sweeper because I needed health insurance. When the job at the OC opened up, I took it. I’ve discovered that the people around here are fabulous. I like the closeness of the community and the parents, and it’s just a really good fit. It’s a good place.”l
Heber Stohel, award-winning cross-stitcher instructs his students at the Open Classroom. (Lori Gillespie/ City Journals)
SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018 • 9AM - 4PM
The purpose of the 2018 State of Utah Black Affairs Summit is to connect, enrich, and empower the Black population from across the state of the Utah. It strives to provide a sense of community and serve as a platform for educating, networking, collaborating, and the sharing of ideas.
This one-day summit, held at the David Eccles School of Business on the University of Utah campus, will include 12 breakout sessions lead by notable experts, will include breakout sessions on financial strategies to building black wealth, secondary and higher education, leadership in the black community, and health and wellness.
Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building 1655 Campus Center Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84112 FREE/OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
REGISTER HERE: http://bfsa.utah.edu/events/2018-bfsa-summit/ 2018 State of Utah Black Affairs Summit Sponsors:
David Eccles School of Business, J. Willard Marriot Library, Goldman Sachs, Utah Community Credit Union, Salt Lake Community College, W.P Johnson Research Group, College of Science, College of Health, College of Mines and Earth Sciences, College of Architecture and Planning, College of Fine Arts, College of Nursing, Darryl & Ann Butt, University of Utah Health-Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, and College of Education.
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Page 6 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Society offers classes aimed at making us all chocolate experts By Lori Gillespie | l.gillespie@mycityjournals.com
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hocolate. There are not many people who don’t love chocolate. And once you have tried some high-quality artisan chocolate, there is no turning back to mass-produced candy bars. Last summer, my son asked to go to a chocolate tasting event for teens at the Anderson Foothill Library. At the event, which was filled beyond capacity, the kids tasted a dozen different chocolates from artisan chocolate makers, many of them Utah based. Liz Struthwolf, owner of the Moka Gourmet Coffee and Chocolate shop, located in Marmalade Library, taught the class. She instructed the kids on how to taste the chocolate and explained why artisan chocolate is so different from what we buy commercially. The kids rated their favorites, asked questions, and everyone left a little bit more in love with chocolate than they were before the class. Just recently I took one of Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Society’s free adult classes. The presentation had two speakers, one chocolate maker and one toffee maker. We sampled the chocolate and the toffee, asked questions, and left with a new appreciation for chocolate. It was then that I knew I needed to spend some more time with Liz to find out more about the phenomenon that was the Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Society. I asked Liz how the society started. “I went on vacation to Las Vegas, and had the most amazing coffee, and my server suggested
I learn more,” said Struthwolf. She eventually went to a barista school in Los Angeles and while there she met the marketing director of Ghirardelli Chocolate who was also taking the class. “She told me that since I was from Salt Lake and I was studying coffee I should also look into chocolate because Salt Lake has some of the best chocolate makers in the world. She said she wanted to someday come to Salt Lake and work with those chocolate makers. I was floored. I had no idea that Salt Lake was a mecca for chocolate.” Struthwolf came home and enrolled in Caputo’s Intro to Fine Chocolate Class. This led her to take some classes at the Culinary Institute of America to study chocolate. “I decided to start at the top, with the experts, so each of the places I went to I was working with the best baristas and the best chocolate makers and chocolate chefs,” added Struthwolf. It was after that adventure she decided she wanted to invest in a coffee/chocolate shop. When she joined the Utah Chocolate Society she learned even more about chocolate and the community and she knew she had found her place. “I think that a lot of people think they don’t like artisan chocolate because they get used to the chocolate you can buy anywhere and it’s overly sweet. They think that artisan chocolate is just bitter. But once they try the really good chocolate, they discover that many of them are still sweet, they
The Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Society offers free monthly classes to learn more about Utah’s coffee and chocolate culture. (Lori Gillespie/City Journals)
really come around,” said Struthwolf. When the Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Society started their classes for the public, they envisioned small classes – around 30 people, but soon 150 people were showing up. Since then they’ve had full houses at every event. Now classes are full within two hours of registration opening up. “Last August, we decided to do a Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate Festival at the library. We invited 17 vendors. We had 700 people respond that they would come to our two-hour event on a weeknight. We had 2,300 people actually show up. That was a huge eye-opener that our little project had become something really big. We are starting to plan for this summer and we are not sure what that
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will look like yet,” added Struthwolf. When I asked Liz why she thinks Utah has a large group of chocolate makers, she said it was because of the culture. “Salt Lake is the perfect place for chocolate makers because both coffee drinkers and noncoffee drinkers love chocolate. In the United States, San Francisco has a pocket of chocolate makers, as does New York, and then Salt Lake has a group. All of the Utah chocolate makers are incredibly supportive of each other.” To find out more about the Marmalade Coffee and Chocolate events, visit their website at http://www.mokaslc.com/marmalade-coffee-andchocolate.html l
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Rotary Club of Sugar House hosts successful Chili Open
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n Saturday, Feb. 10, the Sugar House Rotary hosted its Chili Open Gala in the Grand Ballroom of the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. This year marked the 27th year they have been holding the Chili Open. The Chili Open has evolved over the years. For the first 22 years, it was a golf event, played outside in the winter, using orange carpet for the tee boxes and greens. “We had to use colored balls to find them in the snow,” said Errol EerNisse, current president of the Sugar House Rotary. However, they moved the festivities indoors five years ago. Over the years, the Sugar House Rotary has raised nearly $4.4 million for the charities involved. The Chili Open is just one way the Sugar House Rotary gives back to the community they love. “We typically have 300-400 people attend our event,” said EerNisse, “and this year the Chili Open was terrific. We had lovely background music being played by one of our members, Craig Kaelin. He played the piano while our guests bid on donations during our silent auction cocktail hour.” This year’s charities—Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning, Cancer Wellness House, People Helping People, Teen Challenge: 180 Ministries for Girls, and The Sharing Place— were in charge of gathering the donations for the
By Lori Gillespie | l.gillespie@mycityjournals.com silent auction and setting up the donations area. All money raised, except a small portion that stays with the Rotary Club to offset expenses, is distributed to the charities to help with operating costs. “We really appreciate the Rotary Club of Sugar House,” said John Gold, executive director of The Sharing Place. “It is really great for all the charities involved to get support from the community. The money that we raised at this year’s event will help support grief support for 10 to 12 kids. We know it takes a lot of time and effort for the Sugar House Rotary to put on the Chili Open, and we are grateful to the Rotary and everyone who attended for their support.” The Sugar House Rotary, founded in 1936, is active in humanitarian service and the Chili Open serves as a way for them to give back to the community. The Chili Open is just one of many ways that the Rotary Club offers service. Every summer the Sugar House Rotary hosts an Adoption Awareness event. The adoption event typically takes place in August and it is a joint venture with the Division of Child and Family Services and the Adoption Exchange. If you are interested in donating to the Chili Open or if you would like more information on how you can be involved with one of their events, please visit http://www.sugarhouserotaryclub. com/ l
The ballroom is set for the Sugar House Rotary Chili Open Gala. (Photo/Rotary Club of Sugar House)
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Page 8 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
Westminster sends 18 Olympians compete in PyeongChang
How Dilworth’s Kindness Crew helps Highland High students
By Natalie Mollinet | natalie@mycityjournals.com
By Natalie Mollinet | natalie@mycityjournals.com
Maddie Bowman is a junior at Westminster College working on her major in biology while competing in the Olympics. (Photo courtesy Maddie Bowman)
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tah is known for its snow and world-class skiing and snowboarding, so it’s no surprise that 18 Olympians from Westminster College competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Westminster College and U.S. Ski & Snowboarding have helped national athletes not only achieve excellence in the classroom but on the slopes. U.S Ski & Snowboard is an Olympic sport organization that’s based in Park City, but works with thousands of young skiers and snowboarders to help them excel in their sport and reach their dreams. With the help of Westminster College, athletes have the opportunity to excel in school too. There have been more than 140 U.S. Ski and Snowboarding athletes who have attended the college and the number keeps growing. “I’m super grateful to get one-on-one time with professors who appreciate what I do,” said Abby Rinquist, a U.S. ski jumper who is also an art major at Westminster. “They’re all supportive of the dreams that I have as a student and the dreams that I have as a person and an athlete.” The 18 students were nominated for the 2018 team last week and will represent the United States in giant slalom, moguls skiing, snowboarding and Nordic (cross country skiing and ski jump). The athletes train at the Center of Excellence in Park City while they study at Westminster and must maintain an average GPA of 3.6. Megan McJames, a three-time Olympian, amateur baker and a junior in finance says going to school helps balance time with her practicing and helps her realize that there’s life beyond skiing. “As an athlete, school has been a great outlet for me to take a break from thinking about skiing all the time and realize there is other stuff out there,” McJames said. “It has given me skills that translate into making me who I am.” “I think the type of person that I am – and most athletes are – is a little type-A,” McJames
said. “We like to do our best at everything. When you’re pursuing your best in sports, those skills translate into school and vice versa.” At Westminster, the students who have competed in the previous two Olympic winter games brought home medals. During the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 14 students competed and earned one bronze medal. In the 2014 games in Sochi, 23 students competed bringing home two gold, one silver and one bronze, adding to the 28 total medals the U.S. brought home. Not only will the world be watching local athletes compete, but the school will be cheering them on as they pursue their dreams. The 18 athletes who represent Westminster and the United States are: Maddie Bowman (freestyle), Bryce Bennett (alpine), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (alpine), Alex Ferreira (Nordic), Bryan Fletcher (Nordic), Taylor Fletcher (Nordic), Jared Goldberg (alpine), Faye Guilini (snowboarding), Devin Logan (freeskiing), Wiley Maple (alpine), Megan McJames (alpine), Madison Olson (freestyle), Abby Ringquist (ski jump), Morgan Schild (freestyle), Liz Stephen (cross-country), Brita Sigourney (freestyle), Darian Stevens (freestyle), and Jacqueline Wiles (alpine). “I was the kid who was in summer school a lot,” said Faye Guilini, a three-time Olympian, Grand Prix champ and a junior at Westminster who’s working on her accounting major. “It took me an extra year to graduate high school and I didn’t really see secondary education as an option.” Guilini said the Westminster professors were willing to work with her schedule with competing and practicing, and even worked with her when she was traveling. She said it’s very beneficial and because of the understanding and determination of the professors, she’s maintained a 3.9 GPA, something she thought she’d never be able to achieve. l
The Kindness Crew getting ready to take food to Highland High to help their peers who need it most. (Shanna Lewis/Dilworth Librarian)
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group of students from Dilworth Elementary saw that they could make a substantial change by starting in their elementary school and reaching out to students older than they were. The Kindness Crew at Dilworth saw a need and decided to fill it with canned food. “This is the first year we’ve tried something like this with our Peer Leadership students, and our goal is to have a monthly theme centered around kindness…helping, belonging, valuing others, self-worth and practicing random acts of kindness,” Julie Davidson, the art teacher and peer leadership coordinator said. As their leader, Davidson helps the students with goal setting and reaching their goals. She has seen these students start from kindergarten and make their way to the 5th and 6th grades at Dilworth and was more than excited to help them. This year the leadership team discussed things they wanted to accomplish at Dilworth and came up with the issue of bullying and exclusion as a concern. “As a team, we came up with the idea of ‘The Kindness Crew’ based on a news story we had found about a group of local high school students who have implemented the same idea with great success,” Davidson said. “The basic premise was to promote and encourage thoughts and acts of kindness throughout the school and serve as kindness support to younger students.” But The Kindness Crew didn’t want to stop at just helping students younger than them. They wanted to help students much older than them. Shelly Roderick, a former parent from Dilworth had mentioned to Davidson about the Highland High Pantry. The pantry is in the school and is made up of two rooms that serve as a place where students who need food at home can get food and personal care items that are donated. “There is an influx of students daily in need of food and personal care items,” Davidson said. “They ultimately hope to offer places for students to use showers and do their laundry.”
So, The Kindness Crew got to work by visiting classrooms at Dilworth to discuss the need and presented the collection project for Highland. They called the project “Helping Hands,” and it involved students receiving a paper mitten to write their name on and hang up in the hallway every time they brought something to donate to Highland’s pantry. Each grade had a bin they could drop their donations in. Not only did Highland get something out of it, the students at Dilworth did as well. “The most inspiring phenomenon that came from this was that many of our older students started to donate items and give their mittens to the younger grades to represent and hang up with their names on them,” Davidson said. “It became much bigger than I expected it to.” During the time of the donations, many Dilworth students started to feel like they were a part of the community. Many already had siblings or neighbors who attend Highland, so this was something to connect them to their soon-tobe high school. Even parents of Dilworth students inquired about the food pantry and helped in the pantry’s efforts to grow. “The personal connection that our students have to Highland has created a desire to support and promote these projects and provides students with a closer look at the effect they can have in the communities where they live,” Davidson said. The Kindness Crew gave students the chance to develop empathy for others and become examples of kindness in Sugar House. The project and other projects brought out by the crew have helped them to be active and see that even though they’re still at an elementary age, they can make a difference in their community. “We determined that a sense of belonging is critical for students to feel positive about their school experience,” Davidson said. “The Peer Leadership students believe that kindness can be learned through creating a sense of belonging and personal connections to peers.” l
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March 2018 | Page 9
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Traffic delays expected as Wilmington Avenue construction continues By Spencer W. Belnap | s.belnap@mycityjournals.com
Wilmington Ave before construction looking east
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s more and more new buildings sprout up in Sugar House, the older infrastructure is also affected. Residents and commuters will face traffic delays this spring as major utility line work is done around Wilmington Avenue beginning in March. A six-story SpringHill Suites Hotel will be built in the southeast pocket of 1300 East and Wilmington this year (essentially where the old Toys ‘R’ Us building was). A new slip line for a problematic sewer main will need to be installed first. With the slew of new housing and businesses along this street, addressing this issue now will save the area from various troubles in the future. The Colmena Group, who developed much of the apartment and office buildings in this area, laid out the following timeline of construction: •Feb 19, 20 install slip line (President’s Day) oWill need to restrict water/sewer flow during specific windows of time (to be announced). oRepairs will take place during off-peak night hours •March 5 (tentative) – demolition/repair of sidewalks •March 21 (tentative) – demolition of Wilmington Avenue oWill do one side at a time
oTraffic will flow one direction (east to west) oGarage parking will be unaffected oConstruction hours will generally be from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. •End of May – project scheduled to be completed barring weather delays or unforeseen construction issues, etc. Without a doubt, businesses and residents along Wilmington Avenue will be impacted. “This will affect our residents, families, visitors, everything,” Summer Crouch, marketing director for the senior living community Legacy Village of Sugar House said. “We will want to provide plenty of notice and detailed information about access to our community at this time, and how it may affect their lives.” The parking garages along Wilmington Avenue will still be accessible, and no businesses plan on adjusting hours of operation for the project. The construction will impede flows of traffic and cause delays, so everyone living nearby and commuting through this area should take note. Further construction along 1300 East will also be going on this spring, so this busy heart of Sugar House will be heavily congested at times. With any road construction delays and added commute time, advanced planning and patience are important. l
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Page 10 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
How dedication and a humble heart helped a Highland violinist succeed By Natalie Mollinet | natalie@mycityjournals.com
Cameron Jeppson has been playing the violin since age 3 and practices for hours a day to perfect his art. (Photo Courtesy Cameron Jeppson).
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hen most children start a hobby, it doesn’t last very long. Either the work is too much or the passion to continue dies out. But for one 17 year old at Highland High school, his passion to play the violin has pushed him further and further into a love for the instrument and performing. Cameron Jeppson first heard the violin when
he was 18 months old at weddings he went to with his parents. He’d see the quartet playing and point at them and asked when it was going to be his turn to play. Finally, after another year and a half at the age of 3, his parents got him his first violin. Since then, he’s been taking private lessons from Asheley Madsen Watabe and hasn’t looked back.
“We never really had to talk to him about practicing at all, he just gets the job done,” Watabe said about Cameron and his practicing. “I would say he practices more to achieve a challenge and master something each day.” Jeppson wakes up early every morning to attend violin practices at 5 a.m., then he goes off to school where he takes in his other passions like math. At Highland, he was selected as the school’s Sterling Scholar in music. School and music also fuse together for Jeppson as he participates in the orchestra and Madrigal choir group. But his first love is the violin which has given him the opportunity to play outside the United States. “I guess the more I play the more opportunities I have,” Jeppson said. “In the summer of 2015, I got invited to go to Russia, Estonia and Latvia and play there. It was a great opportunity to play with other violinists and the next summer I played with an orchestra and went to other European countries and opportunities popped up more.” Currently, Jeppson plays with a string quartet called The Ringtone Quartet, a group made of other string players who Jeppson has come to know through his years of playing. They perform at schools, weddings and other parties and have competed in different music competitions. This summer, the group has applied to compete in one music competition where if they win, will have the opportunity to play in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Jeppson was recently selected as a candidate
in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program where 3.6 million students apply and only 4,500 candidates are selected. Those who are selected have scored high on the SAT and ACT and demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. “I think that’s the neatest thing, to see him start to do things on his own and take ownership of his own playing and ownership of his own life,” Watabe said about Jeppson. “He creates more opportunities for himself.” Watabe added that out of her 300 different students over the years, there really hasn’t been a student who has the same drive and ability like Jeppson has. She said that even though he’s very talented and is one in a million, he has always been the most humble, kind, considerate and polite person she has met. “He’ll come and do these concerts and help the other kids and not let them know that he’s helping them,” Watabe said. “He’s just such a humble person which is probably one of his best qualities. He has never once lost any sort of humility or graciousness, he just 100 percent a kind, kind person.” After high school, Jeppson plans to serve an LDS mission and then attend an in-state university and double major in math and music. “There was definitely a bit of a learning curve,” Jeppson said when it came to playing the violin and practicing. “Initially it was difficult to practice but I have always loved playing the violin and the more I’ve played and the more I’ve worked on it, the more I’ve come to love it.” l
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March 2018 | Page 11
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Bonnie Owens and Promise, a perfect match
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onnie Owens’ happiness spreads to those around her as she works with kids through the South Salt Lake Promise program. Her passion, joy, and ability to listen to youth-in-need compliments Promise and matches their goal of helping children reach their highest potential. After graduating college in 2011 during a shaky job market, Owens was unemployed. “I was in that weird bubble of being over qualified for many jobs and under qualified for many jobs,” Owens said. With an undergraduate degree in gender studies and a graduate degree in cultural studies and education from the University of Utah, Owens had never worked with young children. “I spent my master’s learning about underrepresented students and how to best serve them in school and my intention was to teach adults,” Owens said. She taught college for a while during her master’s program and taught teens for a bit between her degrees. Yet a happy accident brought her into the world of elementaryage kids, which she fell in love with. Once a week Owens would play basketball at the Columbus Center during her eight months of unemployment and she heard about a position opening. She remembers going into the interview and learning about the specifics of the job. “When they started in the interview talking about kids I was like, ‘Wait a minute, what is this job? What are you talking about?’ And I hadn’t had any experience at that point with elementary kids, I had only experienced teenagers, and I was pretty nervous but I was also really desperate and I thought, ‘Hey you know, I just got a degree in this. Maybe I’ll give it my best shot,’ and I went for it.” She reluctantly began as, what was called at the time, a group leader, now titled prevention specialist, which she explained with a smile is “a glorified camp counselor.” Six years later Owens has moved up the ladder, with her most recent promotion to deputy director of Promise, and she couldn’t be more thrilled. “The only reason that I was afraid of kids was because I didn’t have any experience with them. They actually are really cool people and an honor to have in anyone’s life,” said Owens. The Ninja Turtle Christmas wrapping paper, amongst all the other kid-friendly toys and games like basketballs and jump ropes, in her office is a reminder of a recent action the Promise Program and Owens took because they listened. “We had a huge year for Sub for Santa and Angel Tree. More than 80 families were able to get gifts and needed items and a lot of the ways we figured out which families to support was just knowing the kids and listening to what they were talking about,” Owens explained. She remembers one child in particular who said he didn’t celebrate Christmas and she asked him if he celebrated another holiday. “He said, ‘No we don’t celebrate because we can’t afford presents.’” Owens kept a mental note of this and when Christmas time rolled around programs within Promise, like the Family Liaison, were
By Holly Vasic | h.vasic@mycityjournals.com
Creating environments where moments of Joy, Independence, and Wellness are the focus each and every day!
MARCH SPECIAL
Bonnie Owens (center) was named the Outstanding Afterschool Site Coordinator in Utah by the Utah Afterschool Network in October 2017. (Photo courtesy South Salt Lake)
able to reach out to the family. “Bonnie’s dedication and impact are evident on the faces of all the youth she serves,” said Mayor Cherie Wood. “She invests in them as individuals and sparks interest in the things that will help them thrive not just while in Promise programing, but in life. Having Bonnie as a Deputy Director will certainly impact South Salt Lake and our youth for the better.” Owens grew up on the Sandy-Midvale area and recalls a time when she was a student at Hillcrest High School. That time in her life motivates her in her role today. A few of her teachers got together to encourage her to switch to the AP English class because they knew she could succeed. “This idea that they were talking about me when I wasn’t around and that they were working together. I was resistant, I was like, ‘No that sounds like really hard and it’s in the middle of the semester, how would I catch up?’ And they basically were like, ‘No you got to do this,’” Owens recalled. This experience endeared her
to teaching because she remembers how they believed in her. Owens identifies as, what she calls, “gender variant or gender non-conforming” and always has. She spent her childhood seeking out adults who looked like her that she could relate to but most told her it was a phase she would grow out of. “It’s super fun for me to be in this role and for the kids who look like me and who are looking for someone to look like them, it’s really rewarding. Also, for kids who don’t. For them to get the experience of learning from and really caring about someone who is different from them is something that keeps me around the kids for sure,” said Owens. Owens looks forward to her future with Promise and getting to see more kids succeed. She has now seen kids graduate and get scholarships to Westminister and other schools, as well as a student she had when she first started who returned to work for Promise. “It’s good times,” Owens said with a smile.l
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Page 12 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
‘True love story’ hits diseased road block By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com
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Valerie and Tom Densley were childhood friends before reuniting a few years ago and getting married. (Courtesy Valerie Densley)
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t was in a ’51 Chevy pickup truck that Valerie Densley learned to drive at a young age. And almost 50 years later, that same truck helped find her husband. Valerie and Tom Densley were friends when they were little. It was the late 60s, early 70s when they went their separate ways rarely hearing from one another. Tom had always wanted the truck and told Valerie’s father to sell it to him when the time came. It took decades but Tom, now 62, finally got the truck. Meanwhile, Valerie, now 57, saw a similar truck at a car show and decided to look for the Chevy from her childhood. Through Facebook she found Tom had it and was planning to turn it into a hot rod. “We met up with each other and found out we lived pretty parallel lives and immediately fell in love and got married,” she said. “It was very crazy.” They celebrated their one-year anniversary at the end of February. Once reconnected, they discovered both had recently gone through bad divorces and moved into new homes. Now married, they moved into Tom’s house in West Jordan, where he grew up. “It’s a true love story,” Valerie said. Recently though, that story hit a road block. Tom was born with polycystic kidney disease where numerous cysts grow in the kidneys which reduces function and leads to kidney failure. About 600,000 people in the US have PKD, according to the National Kidney Foundation. March is National Kidney Month. It wasn’t until about 20 years ago Tom found out he had the hereditary disease, and it was a few years ago on Thanksgiving his body took a downturn. Now his kidney function at level 7, out of 100. They are now in search of a kidney donor for the O blood type Tom has. Anybody can receive blood from O, but only O blood types can receive from each other. Last fall, the couple had a donor set up—a
young friend of Tom’s from their work as heavy equipment mechanics on large drill rigs in gold mines and gravel pits. The surgery was scheduled for November 2017, but they didn’t get that far. The young man, who Valerie described as “very health conscious,” found out he was diabetic shortly before the procedure. “(He) came to the house broken-hearted,” Valerie said. “I’m glad they found that,” Tom said. “If they donated and then found out he had a health issue (because of the donation), I couldn’t have lived with that.” The two are exploring all avenues before them. A Facebook page was put together called “Give me an O.” They are on the donor list at the University of Utah donor center and donors can submit online for “Thomas Densley.” Though Valerie is not a match for Tom, she is undergoing testing so they become a team. This is when the clinic looks for another pair where Valerie can donate her kidney while her counterpoint donates to Tom. “Just an extra something they will search for but sadly our team is rare as well and is difficult to match,” Valerie said. Looking for another donor has been difficult, Valerie said. She describes Tom just like his blood type, generously giving to everyone, but also not one to make public his health issues often disguising the pain he often suffers. Tom still works when he can saying he’ll work as long as his body allows. “I can be his advocate but it wears me down because I’m so emotionally attached,” she said. Tom said his wife’s been wonderful looking for donors. He added that testing to become a donor is a three- to four-month process paid for by his insurance. “In the long run, they get a hell of a physical examination to see if they have anything wrong,” Tom joked. The couple strives to identify the funny moments. Tom is unable to regulate his body temperature so he often feels cold. So cold he “could be in blankets sitting in front of the fire place with heat up to 78 degrees in the house and still be freezing,” Valerie said. She will come home to “what feels like a fire” and show Tom the butter melting on the kitchen counter. “This is proof that it’s too warm in here,” she’ll say. What’s harder to laugh about is how the disease affects his joints. For his body to get nutrients, it’s pulling from his bone supply causing him significant pain. This happens especially if overexerts himself. “The next day or two feels like somebody is beating me up with a baseball bat, every bone in the body hurts,” Tom said. “I can’t function, can’t sit or lay down—just uncomfortable and the lack of sleep is terrible.” He will often go weeks in between a decent night of sleep, which is considered 2-4 hours long. Medication possibilities are limited due to their harsh nature on body organs. “A lot of time,” Valerie said. “He just has to try his best to endure.” l
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March 2018 | Page 13
S ugar HouseJournal .com
5A Coach of the Year credits cheerleaders, school for program’s evolution
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By Travis Barton | travis@mycityjournals.com
ighland High senior Kimberly Warr was a freshman cheerleader when, along with four friends, they began working with a new tumbling coach. They heard good things about Ron Yates and hoped to improve their skills under his tutelage. “I was finding that I was doing so much better than (with) any other tumbling coach I’ve taken,” said the head cheerleader. Warr wasn’t the only one to notice his impact as Yates was awarded the 5A Coach of the Year at the Utah Cheer Club Sport State Competition in January. Yates said he was surprised to win the award, preferring to deflect any credit to the school and its cheerleaders. “The kids are fantastic, the other people I work with are terrific,” he said. “Without them there’s no award.” When Yates first heard about the nomination, he wanted to decline it altogether. “I would rather stand behind the girls and have you clap for them,” he said. But at the urging of his family, he decided to accept. There are three goals the tumbling coach has: have fun, get better and don’t get hurt. Yates explained he doesn’t expect recognition for fulfilling those goals. “I just never thought I would be that type of candidate because (the cheerleaders) were just having fun and not getting hurt and getting better,” Yates said. It was his fellow coach Karrie Jarratt that nominated him. “He doesn’t like all the fanfare but we were really excited, we were really proud of him,” she said. For the girls Yates coaches, it was long overdue. “I was just like, ‘Finally someone is giving him recognition,’ because he doesn’t expect recognition at all,” Warr said. “He is such a giving person that it was just time he got something in return.” It was at the behest of Warr and the other cheerleaders, and a conversation on a bus with Jarratt, that brought Yates to Highland. He was coaching tumbling and stunting at East when he switched schools. “It’s turned out to be a very good fit,” Yates said. “Highland is a great school, great principal [Chris Jenson], kids there are great.” He added that as an Olympus High alum who competed against the Rams for years, “to become this comfortable with them kind of amazes me.” As a tumbling teacher, Yates is familiar with various schools being well-known in the cheer world. Recently, he helped the Brighton High cheer team with a pyramid stunt they were attempting and during summers he’ll help the Olympus boys basketball team when they go to Reno, Nevada. This in addition to his work at Elite Dance Studio in Holladay. Though it’s only been 15 years since he’s joined the dance, tumbling and cheer worlds, Yates said it was his daughter that wanted to take a tumbling class. “She said since I played basketball with her brothers, that I should tumble with her,” he recalled. Yates caught on so quickly that he was teaching the class by its end. Then after teaching gymnastics for a while, he ended up at the dance studio and it evolved into cheer. And Highland High is happy he did. “He’s been great for us, just been wonderful,” Jarratt said. It was five years ago that Jarratt, a school counselor with no cheerleading experience, was asked to be the coach. “I didn’t know what they heck I was doing,” she recalled. Until the competition in January, Highland had gone 12 years without competing at a regional or state tournament. But with Yates bringing his expertise in tumbling and stunting, it’s allowed them to compete at a higher level according to Jarratt. “When I took over I think I had one girl who tumbled, and now
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Ron Yates was named the 5A Coach of the Year at the Utah Cheer State Competition in January. (Photo/Jeff Kelsey)
I would say on a varsity team of 26 girls, 20-22 tumble and next year I think they will all tumble,” she said. “He did that. He’s an amazing coach.” It’s something Warr can attest to. She said it took her three years to do a roundoff back handspring or a standing back handspring by herself. “I just always had the mind blockage that I could not do it and he helped me get over that in probably a month. It was just crazy,” said Warr, who was named academic all-state. She later added, “he has changed the face of Highland cheer. Without him we would not have gone to competition this year or taken third at state (in the Sideline/Timeout Dance category).” Yates refuses to accept credit, pointing out the quality of athletes found throughout the high school. “Kimberly (Warr) is a great example. One of the best kids I’ve ever worked with,” Yates said. “They listen, they want to get better, they have fun. She made me look pretty good.” The tumbling coach enjoys working with kids. His favorite moments are when he takes his students, who may not have much confidence or never tumbled before, and sees “the first time they complete a simple standing back handspring, and the smile and the sense of accomplishment.” Known for his nurturing and loving coaching style, Jarratt said it’s obvious Yates wants the best for the kids. “Some people just have that extra something and the kids really read that,” she said. “We all know when someone really likes us and wants us to do our best.” Warr, who will attend the University of Utah in the business scholars program and try out for the spirit and dance team, noticed that quality in Yates saying he knows how far to push them, but always having their safety at the forefront. “He’s definitely changed my experience and how I cheer,” she said. “I would not be the same cheerleader without him.” l
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Page 14 | March 2018
S ugar House City Journal
Saving tricks from budget-minded students
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by
CASSIE GOFF
id-semester is a stressful time for college students. Not only are we prepping for midterms and projects, working on assignments, completing readings, and cramming in some additional studying, there’s also spring break plans to make. Being a college student is a full-time job; but instead of being paid, we pay for it. Tips and tricks on how to be frugal as a student are learned out of necessity (do you know how much textbooks cost?!). As a student, “you really have to focus on needs, not wants,” said education graduate student Brett Merkley. “I am really, really careful to budget my money. I have a spreadsheet where I list everything I spent in the last month so I can keep track of where I’m spending what and if my budget is holding up or if it needs work,” said writing and rhetoric student Casey Koldewyn. Food spending is one of the biggest cuts students make during their time in college. “Learn to cook. Eating out is really expensive. It’s especially cost effective to make large amounts of something and then eat it over the next couple of days—beans in particular. They are a really great way to eat healthily and heartily on a budget. I make a crock-pot of some kind, often beans, 3 to 4 times a month. Mix it with rice to change things up and it can last a while,” said rhetoric graduate student Justin Whitney. “Take a lunch instead of buying one, especially on campus,” suggests mechanical engineering student Francie Rodriguez. “If I do buy food on campus, sometimes I’ll wander up to the hospital cafeterias. Specifically, Pri-
mary Children’s, where I can get a good sized breakfast burrito for around $5,” says sociology student Luis Silva Santisteban. “Try to buy food in bulk. If you don’t have a Costco card, pay attention to grocery stores like Smith’s that have case lot sales. Also, pay attention to events held on campus that give out free food,” says communications graduate student Mitchell Reber. “Don’t go out for coffee—make your own and take a Thermos. Also, scan through mailers and see if there are coupons. They may not seem like much, but they can add up to a lot,” says theatre student Cate Heiner. A few restaurants around town offer student discounts including: Red Robin, The Pie Pizzeria, Village Inn and Costa Vida. For clothing, many students repurpose articles they already own, or just try not to get their clothes too dirty. “If you ever find yourself needing clothing, Uptown Cheapskate, a clothing exchange store, has both quality and affordable options. I scored a $600 suit for $60,” said Reber. Thankfully, some clothing stores offer student discounts including: J Crew, ASOS, American Eagle, Banana Republic, Forever 21 and Redbubble. For the extremely limited amount of free time students have, there are free or cheap entertainment options as well. “Outside of the obvious, like hiking and skiing, there is the Nickel Arcade. There are also loads of free concerts, guest lectures, and other activities on campus (utah.edu/events),” said Reber. “Rather than spending money to go see a movie
in theatres, see if it’s playing at the library or through a school function,” Heiner said. Cinemark theaters offer occasional student discounts if you don’t want to see a movie on campus. For other entertainment forms: Ballet West offer $15 student tickets, StubHub offers student discounts, and Red Butte Garden as well as the Natural History Museum offer free admission for students. In order to make some extra cash, writing and rhetoric student Claudia Sauz says, “I donate plasma. It pays like a part-time job with working less hours. Donating plasma really just feels like being harvested for organs.” One of the biggest recommendations from students is to keep a good relationship with your parents. “I’ve been very dependent on my parents for food since I’ve been paying for school all on my own; everything I’ve made while working has been going towards school,” said psychology student Sam Llewellyn. Sam’s classmate, psychology student Candice Jensen echoes her statement. “Eat at your parents’ house as often as possible.” For tech savings, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Tidal, and Best Buy offer student discounts. Additionally, many schools offer free downloadable software, such as Microsoft Office products and the Adobe Creative Cloud. Get the most out of a student ID with tap-on tapoff services from UTA for transportation needs. Lastly, when all the savings in the world can’t help the financial stresses of student life and you feel down, visit your student health or wellness center for quality, low-cost physical and mental health care.
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March 2018 | Page 15
S ugar HouseJournal .com
Laughter AND
by
PERI KINDER
SUGARHOUSE
In an alternate universe, I’m a prima ballerina. I’m performing jetes and arabesques and other fancy-sounding French words. I’m twirling across the stage in a flowing costume. I’m curtsying to my adoring fans while they toss roses at my feet. However, in this universe, I’m a . . . what’s the opposite of ballerina? Whatever that is, that’s what I am. I’ve fought a lifelong battle with grace and gravity. My family watches in horror as I ricochet off doorknobs, fumble down stairways and trip on carpets. I tried really hard to be a dancer. I enrolled in classes when I was 5, and wore pink leotards and white tights, creating some serious panty lines. My mom pulled my long hair into a bun so tight I looked constantly surprised. Every week we’d butcher a series of ballet steps while my dance instructor tried not to handcuff us to the barre. She often sipped from her “dance thermos.” I’d cut up the Arts section of the newspaper, snipping out photos of Ballet West dancers to glue into my scrapbook. I had ballerina paper dolls, ballerina coloring books and ballerina dreams—but a giraffe-like body with knobby knees that bent in several different directions.
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lerina who died at the age of 49, probably from gangrene from her pointe shoes. Because I’m writing this column instead of performing in “Swan Lake,” you can correctly surmise that my ballet career fell flat. I tried out for Ballet West’s “Nutcracker” a couple of times, to no avail, and after years of practice, I hung up my pointe shoes and succumbed to gravity. I never transformed from gangly giraffe to graceful swan. I never glided across the stage, hoping to lure a young prince to his death. (At least, not as a ballerina.) I never received standing ovations for my role in “Coppelia,” the ballet of a young woman pretending to be a mechanical doll. (Because that makes total sense.) But. In that alternate universe, I’m
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Would you care to dance? As a child, I went to see “Giselle” at Kingsbury Hall. The ballet is pretty grim. A disguised prince breaks the heart of a peasant girl who kills herself then becomes a ghost who has to dance the prince to death. Dancers are pretty melodramatic. For weeks after the ballet, I wore tutus that draped toward the floor and floated when I jumped. I channeled Giselle through my 7-year-old body. Picture a little girl evoking the devastation of betrayed love while falling on a sword that ends her life. I’m pretty sure I nailed it. When I was 12, I was finally able to go en pointe. That’s French for “Standing on the tips of your toes until your toe-knuckles bleed and you’re crippled for weeks, all for the sake of those beautiful satin slippers.” The purpose of pointe shoes is to give the illusion that ballerinas are weightless wisps, floating gracefully as swans or nymphs or any type of ethereal and doomed young women. In reality, learning to dance en pointe is similar to putting your toes in a vise, then running a marathon. But I didn’t give up. I continued to practice daily in the hope I’d channel Anna Pavlova, the acclaimed Russian bal-
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soaring, twirling, spinning, leaping and gliding en pointe, hearing the crowd bellow “Brava!” as I take a bow at the edge of the stage. And because in this alternate universe, I’m graceful and lithe, I don’t fall into the orchestra pit. l
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