Sugar House | May 2020

May 2020 | Vol. 6 Iss. 05

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FROM CHAOS TO JOY: AN ADDICTION SUCCESS STORY

By Linnea Lundgren | linnea.l@mycityjournals.com

W

hen looking back on 10 years of drug and alcohol addiction, Bryce Astill doesn’t dwell in regret.

“So much of my life I saw as pathetic. It seemed worthless and meaningless, all the suffering,” said the 38-year-old Astill, who grew up in Sugar House and Salt Lake. “Then the narrative flipped. I realized all that suffering had a purpose, a potential to get one person out of suffering for a moment, to feel what it’s like to just be.”

The present moment is where Astill strives to live.

The practice of mindfulness—purposefully paying attention to the present moment—has taken him down a new life path, one that he says helps him understand the nature of the mind and work with it. Now he finds connection and joy in teaching others the practice of mindfulness.

Years of addiction

His addiction started in junior high, a time when his family was “falling to pieces without direction.”

Each of his four siblings ended up coping with the chaos in their own way. He took the rebellious route.

Astill started smoking pot and drinking alcohol which allowed him to relax in social settings and gave him a sense of belonging. He then graduated to taking acid and mushrooms. “Natural drugs,” he quipped.

Soon he was steadily using and selling Lortab, Percocet and Oxycontin, long before the opioid crisis was Bryce Astill finds joy in teaching others mainstream mindfulness at Tune In Mindfulness in downtown Salt Lake City. (Photo courtesy of Emily Ryberg) Continued page 11 part of the lexicon.

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May 2020 | Page 3

International baccalaureate program awards diploma to high school seniors without testing

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

I

nternational baccalaureate students at 10 Utah high schools will be earning their diploma without taking their final tests. Those students include those in the Salt Lake Valley at Highland, Hillcrest, Skyline and West high schools as well as at Providence Hall.

In late March, IB announced that they would no longer hold the May 2020 examinations that were scheduled for the diploma program and career-related program candidates because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and instead, “depending on what they registered for, the students will be awarded a diploma or a course certificate which reflects their standard of work,” their webpage stated.

It is the first time IB has canceled examinations in its 52-year history.

The IB diploma program is made of three core required components— theory of knowledge, a 4,000-word individual research extended essay, and a creative activity service project — in addition to studying six core subjects: language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; and the arts.

Students are evaluated using internal and external assessments, and courses finish with an externally assessed series of examinations, usually two or three timed written tests. Internal assessment varies by subject, for example, fieldwork in geography, laboratory work in the sciences, artistic performances, oral interviews in languages and investigations in mathematics. These typically are graded by the classroom teacher, whose grades are then verified by an appointed external moderator.

The career path not only includes courses from the diploma program, but also those of career-related studies, such as technical

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and professional coursework. There also is a focus in service learning, language development and a reflective project.

IB went on to state that the awarded diploma or certificate will be “based on student’s coursework and the established assessment expertise, rigor and quality control,” which are already built into the programs.

“Our goal continues to be to find ways to support our global community during these uncertain times and provide the best possible outcomes for our students,” their webpage stated.

At Hillcrest, which is one of three local schools that offer both the diploma and career path, senior Emily Zhang said she first saw the announcement on her IB account, then has been receiving updates from the school’s IB coordinator John Olsen.

“It’s a little weird not to do testing,” she said. “A lot of us are happy that we don’t have to sit through them, but we’re also in shock. We’ve spent the past two years preparing for them, so where do we go from here?

It’s unprecedented.”

Olsen said that with the diploma candidates this year, the international assessments (IA) are critical.

“In the past, we have had teachers grade them and then a sample would be sent to be reviewed at another IB site in the world,” he said. “This year, we’re still grading them here, but each one will be sent to be reviewed at two additional IB sites. So basically, three moderators will be conducting three different independent checks to see what students know. Our teachers are trained around the country so it’s fair that they will treat students the same as an IB school in Argentina may treat them. They’re all looking extensively at the IAs with a fine-tooth comb.”

However, as schools were abruptly put on soft closure in mid-March, some of Hillcrest’s 93 students who were to test this year left school that day, not knowing they wouldn’t return, and their projects were left unfinished. Olsen said teachers are working with those students to access the materials to help them finish their IAs. While Zhang has turned in her IA, she said students aren’t clear on how the final score will be calculated.

Scores with the IB diploma are used by colleges and universities to determine the amount of college credit a student earns with the program and are expected to be released July 5.

And even though students won’t be taking the year-end test, Zhang still feels that she will be prepared for college.

“I should be fine heading This year’s IB candidates will be awarded their diplomas without their into college,” she said. “I al- examinations, as they were canceled in response to the COVID-19 panready had tested in two areas demic. (Julie Slama/City Journals) last year, so I feel prepared. A comments for IB to review. lot of us already were review“Our teachers are still giving the courseing our notes for this year and our teachers are continuing the rigorous curriculum to work at the same rigor, so students are prepared, and they earn their grade,” he said. maintain the IB standard.”

Olsen said some teachers are continuing “IB is adjusting the best they can so the IB as if a test is imminent – even having students diploma will reflect the student’s standard of take previous year tests as practice. Schools work.” l also are to submit six IB subjects and teacher

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Sugar House City Journal

Group therapy meetings go online, but meet new challenges

By Bill Hardesty | b.hardesty@mycityjournals.com

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As a result, Eric has chosen to go it alone. He finds it better to read his dailies (daily affirmations), “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions” and “The Big Book” (both books published by the AA) and The Book of Mormon. He also studies his addiction and recovery program and listens to the “Sober Cast” on Spotify.

However, anyone who has fought an addiction knows going it alone is a risky journey.

“I am most concerned about the new guys,” Jim, a proud holder of a 27-year sobriety chip, said, “They are trying to break a

routine and the routine they were developing is being changed again.”

One way the meetings are changing is concern over confidentiality.

One of the foundation points of group therapy meetings is that the meeting is a safe place. What is said in the meeting, stays in the meeting. When a meeting goes online, how safe is that meeting? Not only is there a possibility of being hacked, but a father, for example, might not be as open about a pornography addiction when there is a fear that his child might hear. l

The Huntington Group - Coldwell Banker.

A small sign on the door of a church announces the cancellation of 12-step meetings. (Bill Hardesty/City Journals)

A

nother fallout from the COVID-19 social distancing is the cancellation of group therapy meetings like those held by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 12-step program.

“A simple hug for some people makes the world of difference,” said Eric, a participant in a 12-step program for over a year.

With social distancing, hugs are no longer part of the process.

Even before the restrictions, AA and others have held virtual meetings to meet people’s schedules and comfort levels and,

MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

for many people, virtual groups just work better. But, just like students who have had to learn a different skill set for successful online learning, attendees of face to face group therapy programs are struggling to make the switch to something like a Zoom meeting.

“Zoom meeting for me are hard. People talk over each other and there is really no respect or camaraderie,” Eric said.

He continued, “I know of quite a bit of people who have relapsed and went back to drinking due to not having meetings. The closeness that is there with the meetings is hard to find over Zoom or the phone.”

May 2020 | Page 5

COVID-19 affects stay for foreign exchange students studying abroad in Utah

By Drew Crawford | d.crawford@mycityjournals.com

A

s COVID-19 continues to cause much uncertainty around the world and in Utah, it can be easy to forget the virus affects everyone in some form.

Foreign exchange students coming to Utah to participate in the CASE (Cultural Academic Student Exchange) program on a J-1 Cultural Exchange Visa have found their stays impacted by changes to travel and governmental policy.

Rebecca Symes, coordinator of the CASE program, who expresses a passionate enthusiasm for the students and treats them as though they are her own children, has found her job more chaotic than usual as she has helped her students during the crisis.

During a typical year the students who come from all over the world are placed with qualifying host families to enjoy a year in the United States studying at school.

“The whole purpose is to really experience American culture and for the kids to share their culture,” Symes explained.

However, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus this school year, governmental agents from the host countries are implementing emergency policies to address the potential threat of the virus.

“The different kids come from different agents all around the world,” Symes said. “So sometimes those agencies will make policies that ‘all of our kids are flying home, that’s how we’re going to deal with it.’”

“So, I had two of my kids that ended up having to leave even though the parents said we’d rather they stay and avoid airports and that.”

Other students studying abroad preferred to be with their families during the crisis “I did have two or three kids who really did want to go home, and they were like, ‘I feel like I should be with my family and I want to go home,’ and so their agents at home helped them arrange their flights and get them home,” Symes said.

In total, out of the 21 kids in the program, 13 are staying in Utah and eight returned to their countries of origin.

“So there was an agency out of Belgium and France that absolutely insisted that their kids go home, so my French student and my Belgian student both ended up having to go,” Symes said.

“It’s got to be incredibly hard on them to be far away with all of the uncertainty with knowing what’s going on. And then there’s other kids from the same country that are like ‘I’ve got to stay here’” It’s been really eye opening.

The French girl that returned home and her host mom, Andrea Gritton, had originally discussed and decided it would be in her best interest to remain in Utah and finish up the school year in May. However, quick changes by the French government quickly ended the student’s American experience.

Page 6 | May 2020

Rebecca Symes poses with foreign exchange students participating in the CASE program. (Photo courtesy Rebecca Symes)

“A couple of weeks later we received an email from her agency in France saying that they have to come home and that they were arranging the flights. We didn’t really have a choice at that point,’ Gritton said.

The return flight organized by the agency was very abrupt and did not give the family a lot of time to come to terms parting with their student.

“The next day they contacted us with her flight info, which we were hoping was at least a week or so out, but it was two days later,” Gritton said.

“It just sounded like the French government wanted all of their citizens back home.”

Going home involved potential exposure to the virus for the student, as her flights connected to three different cities in total.

“She ended up having to make three transfers between planes. Chicago to Detroit to Newark to Brussels. And from Brussels she had to take a train to Paris, because there’s no flights going into France right now,” Gritton related.

“So, all of that was done on her own and she’s just a 16-year-old taking flights on her own.”

Once arriving in Paris, only her Dad could pick her up because of governmental restrictions.

It’s been difficult for Gritton with her student having to leave so abruptly.

“There’s been a lot of tears on both ends, but we have been contacting her every day. Mostly we use Whatsapp, or even live talking,” Gritton said.

“She had a birthday and we still celebrated it. We took lots of videos and sent them to her and sang happy birthday to her over Whatsapp and made a special video of her.

Gritton’s kids have also stayed in close contact with her through the popular video game Animal Crossing.

For other host families, the student’s government of origin offered more leeway when making the decision.

The host family for one of the boys from Spain wanted him to stay so he could finish out the academic year and receive credit for his work.

“It was really important for me to understand what they wanted and what the family wanted,” said Susan Bielfeldt, the host mom of a Spanish boy.

“I know it’s important to him that he wanted to make sure that he could finish the school year, because when you’re a junior you don’t want to discover that you’re going to have to redo your junior year.”

At this point, the family had important conversations with the student and his family in order to determine the best course of action going forward.

“The first thing that I did is checked with (him) and what he wants. It was pretty bad in Spain at that point and the numbers were climbing,” Bielfeldt said. “Once it was clear to me what he wanted I reached out to parents, and the agency kept contacting the parents.”

Throughout the discussions, everyone decided it was in the student’s best interest for him to stay.

“They wanted to do what he wanted. I think they recognized that the surge particularly around Barcelona, Madrid, it was really on the upward trajectory,” Bielfeldt recalled.

“I think they thought it was safer for him as well. And the fact that he wanted to stay and could guarantee that he didn’t have to redo his junior year, I think that all of it kind of came together to help encourage them to accept the idea of having him stay here.”

As a result of all of this, the student, whose Visa is set to expire at the end of June, will return to Spain as soon as travel restrictions are lifted.

“I think that the world will start to dictate what we all need to do,” Bielfeldt said.

Overall, even with the disruptions to the program this year, Symes knows the opportunities for the foreign exchange students have still been life changing and that the host families have offered incredible support to their students despite the complications from the coronavirus.

“My own personal belief is that (crisis) really brings out who you are at your core.

I feel like you either become very self-centered and worried, drawn into yourself, or you realize that everyone is interconnected,” Symes said.

For Symes, she has been able to see this come true for her students who have created connections that will last for a lifetime. l

Sugar House City Journal

Natural History Museum of Utah digitization project seeks at-home scientific help

By Jenniffer Wardell | j.wardell@mycityjournals.com

I

t’s a chance to be a scientist from your living room.

If you’re stuck at home, the Natural History Museum of Utah’s vertebrate zoology department is looking for help. They’ve spent the last two years digitizing decades worth of field notes, all of which include vital information about various animal species already in the museum’s collection. Once the pages get online, they need the help of volunteers to transcribe the notes so the information is more readable and searchable by people all over the world.

“If the (museum) building was on fire, what would be the one thing you’d want to grab?” asked Amanda McGarry, the digitization manager for vertebrate zoology collections at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

“For the vertebrate zoology department, it would be the field notes.”

The notes are divided into two categories. Catalogue notes are the quantitative raw data about the different species in the collection. Field notes are the daily records of the scientists who were studying and collecting the different animal species. Both sides together are still referred to as field notes.

Though some of that information adds important scientific context, there are also some interesting stories mixed in.

“Back in the day, sometime in the 1930s, one of the grad students actually got shot when they were out in the field,” said McGarry with a laugh. “Two weeks later he was back in the field because he was a grad student.”

Other notes show the quirks that sometimes show up in the scientific process, such as the scientist who was trying to lure chipmunks with gumdrops.

“He had a whole page about how orange gumdrops worked better than yellow gumdrops,” she said.

Even when the stories don’t get that dramatic, they offer a fascinating glimpse into what life was like in different time periods.

“They’ll say they motored places instead of driving places,” she said. “It confused me at first.”

The notes are being posted to DIGIVOL, a site hosting similar documents from institutions all over the world. The vertebrate zoology collection’s specific site can be found here at volunteer.ala.org.au, then search institutions for Natural History Museum of Utah – Vertebrate Zoology.

Volunteers sign up for a free account, then choose what museum they want to work with. Once they’ve done that, they choose the notes from a specific expedition and get started.

“There’s a tutorial that gives an example of what the notes are going to look like and how to transcribe them,” McGarry said.

If a particular page gets too challenging, she said that volunteers don’t need to feel bad.

“To be honest, the handwriting at times can be hard to read,” she said. “You can always exit a certain page and go to a different one.”

Even if you do make a mistake, there will be other volunteers on hand to make sure it doesn’t become a permanent part of the collection.

“After the work gets transcribed, we have some dedicated volunteers go on a validate them,” she said.

There are several volunteers already

The project is meant to create a permanent, searchable database of notes the Natural History Museum of Utah has on various items in its collection. (Photo courtesy of NHMU)

working on the project, which means that the notes from some expeditions get transcribed quickly. If you log on and find that all the work has been done for the moment, however, McGarry said not to worry.

“If people log on and there’s nothing to be done, keep checking back,” she said. “Sometimes people transcribe

Examples of the kind of field notes being digitized.

On the left side is catalogue notes, which include raw data about whatever was being studied. On the right side is field notes, which relate the daily experiences of the scientists. Both sides together are still referred to as field notes. (Photo courtesy of NHMU)

faster than I can upload things.”

And if vertebrate zoology isn’t your thing, McGarry said that other collections are starting to follow their lead.

“This has been an example for other collections to start their own (digitization) projects,” she said, listing the anthropology and herbarium collections as two that are already online. “There’s stuff out there for everyone.” l

Amanda McGarry, the digitization manager for the museum’s vertebrate zoology collection, scans another page of notes into the computer. (Photo courtesy of NHMU)

MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

May 2020 | Page 7

State and city emergency managers cite key lessons from March earthquake

By Joshua Wood | j.wood@mycityjournals.com

T

he Great Utah Shakeout came a month early this year with the real deal. The 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the Salt Lake Valley on March 18, and the many aftershocks in the weeks that followed, made all those past community earthquake drills startlingly relevant. The good news was that the March 18 quake was not “the big one” that Utahns have been taught to expect. On the other hand, officials learned that many residents still needed a lot more practice in preparedness.

“It’s given us an opportunity to practice our emergency management process,” said Wade Mathews, Be Ready Utah manager with the Utah Division of Emergency Management. “We were already active for COVID-19, and it’s given us an opportunity. People didn’t quite remember what to do.

We want to emphasize the importance of stay where you are, stop, drop and hold on.”

Mathews cited the quake as a great learning opportunity for everyone. In the event of a much larger earthquake, the shaking would likely be too violent for people to run for cover. Even in large aftershocks, the best thing for people to do in the moment is to stay where they are, drop down, and hold on for cover. If an earthquake were to strike when people are in bed, for example,

Gov. Gary Herbert and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson in the State Emergency Operations Center on March 18 during the first ever level 1 activation for the 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Magna. (Photo courtesy of Wade Mathews, Utah Division of Emergency Management)

Mathews said the best thing for them to do is to stay in bed and put a pillow over their heads for protective cover.

The March earthquake provided real experience for local emergency personnel to put all their drills into practice.

Cottonwood Heights canceled its annual Shakeout event due to social distancing measures for the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials tentatively plan to hold a drill this fall.

Lessons learned from the recent earthquake will help inform their planning.

“The biggest thing that we’ve seen is

that it has brought the realization that it could happen,” said Assistant Emergency Manager Julie Sutch of the Cottonwood Heights Police Department. “That’s probably the biggest takeaway. We’re seeing more people being geared toward preparedness.”

Preparedness is the primary concern for Mathews. From the state level to community organizations to each household, knowing what to do is the top priority. “We’re going to emphasize protective action more with our outreach,” Mathews said. “If we don’t know how to survive the disaster, the rest of our

plans don’t matter. We want everyone to be able to survive. That’s why we emphasize protective action so much.”

Protective action during an earthquake includes: • Drop to your hands and knees to protect yourself from being knocked down • Cover your head and neck with one arm • Crawl under a sturdy desk or table if one is nearby • If no table or desk is nearby, crawl to an interior wall • Stay on your hands and knees, bent over to protect vital organs • If you get under a desk or table for shelter, hold on to a leg until the shaking stops • If not under shelter, cover your head and neck with both arms For more tips on earthquake preparedness, visit shakeout.org/Utah.

The lessons of the recent earthquake, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, have provided real reminders of the importance of emergency preparedness. “We want to create a culture of preparedness where we live,” Mathews said. “Knowing the risks of where we live helps us have emergency preparedness plans in place.” l

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Sugar House City Journal

Millennials try different approaches to dating amid the restraints of social distancing

By Drew Crawford | d.crawford@mycityjournals.com

W

ith restaurants, bars and other venues closed due to social distancing, dating has been fundamentally changed as a result of COVID-19.

In order to meet new people, millennials must rely almost solely on dating apps, texting and phone calls to meet new people.

Conversations have changed, too. “How are you?” has morphed into something else.

“Usually the first thing that they ask is, ‘How are you with this social distancing thing?’” Emily Taylor, a senior at Weber State, said.

For Taylor, her interactions on the dating app Mutual do not progress much further than initial conversations.

“Most of the time they are like, ‘I don’t know,’” Taylor said, citing the hesitancy that others feel about meeting in person with the health risk involved. “There was one that was like, “Yeah, let’s meet up and then he chickened out and was like, ‘I think it’s too serious right now with the coronavirus.’” Taylor said, citing her minor annoyance with her date canceling potential plans.

For Alison Spendlove, socialization has changed as people get to know each other in different ways.

“It kind of feels a little bit like 1980’s dating because you can’t go out and go on dates. There’s a lot of like, ‘Hey, when can we talk on the phone?’ when it hasn’t been a prominent thing in my dating experience,” Spendlove said, adding that she’s had a lot of phone dates since social distancing measures took effect.

As a result of her being a respiratory therapist and working on the frontline, Spendlove has had some potential matches treat her with suspicion.

“I had one guy that I matched with on Bumble, and I told him that I was a respiratory therapist at the University of Utah and that I’m a frontline healthcare worker and he unmatched with me because of it,” Spendlove said.

Overall, Spendlove feels that it’s harder to get to know people because she likes to meet in person and learn about her dates’ mannerisms.

“You don’t get that from texting and video calls,” Spendlove said. “I’ve had a couple people who have reserved dates for when this is all over.”

Celia King recently moved from Philadelphia to Salt Lake and upon arrival self-quarantined herself for 14 days.

“I had an interesting experience in the sense that I didn’t really know anybody coming into it, so it’s definitely been a mix of looking for both a date and also friendship and companionship to get through this with,” King said.

For King, men have been very forward toward her on dating apps.

“Coronavirus hasn’t helped because they just think you’re obviously bored by yourself at home and so, therefore, I’m just going to be as sexual as humanly possible,” King said. “They think they’re funny, but it’s really a turn off to me.”

King, who usually prefers to meet men

in person first, has had to think differently about her approach to safety.

“It’s definitely been hard because usually you’d want to go to a public place with somebody, especially if you haven’t met them before,” King said.

“Typically, as a girl, I’d want to go to a public place for the first few times, so having to be in my home or their home, it’s definitely been a big part of my thought process as to do I feel safe with that person or do I feel comfortable having them over? You kind of have to get that through your communications with them, which is difficult.”

With ongoing social distancing, it’s hard to know how the future of dating will be impacted.

“I think that people are going to be more conscientious of their health and where people are going,” King predicted.

“People have gotten really comfortable at their homes. I think that there will be a mad rush to get out, but then there’s also going to be this specific group that’s like, ‘We can make dinner at home,’” she said.

With the loss of typical connection, King hopes that people will take dating more seriously once social distancing ends.

“I hope people will be a little bit more real, because you’re not getting that personal connection with your friends now, like it’s everybody, so you’re going to want that more real connection instead of, like, this is somebody I’m going to ghost in 10 minutes,” King said. l

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MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

May 2020 | Page 9

The season that never was: Highland track coach reflects on cancellation

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com uring the first part of March, Highland track and field coach Gary Rowles was delighted to see a record-high 177 athletes showing up for tryouts.

Sadly, none of them ever participated in more than one meet.

The Rams gathered on March 11 for the season-opening meet. Two days later, Rowles learned that school and all activities would be suspended for two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. On March 24, the Utah High School Activities Association extended the suspension to May 1. By April 14, officials cancelled the entire season after Utah Gov. Gary Herbert ordered all schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year.

“Once school was cancelled and sports along with it, it was devastating for many,” Rowles said.

Rowles and his athletes had hoped competition would resume by May 4, and the team would compete in a shortened season. It wasn’t to be. Now, the freshmen, sophomores and juniors on the squad must wait a long 10 months before coming together for the next season. Highland’s seniors will never compete as Rams again.

“As a coach, there’s always next year, but it’s been difficult for all of us, especially our seniors,” he said. “Our girls team had some outstanding girls returning, and we had

an opportunity to compete very well at the region and state level. Our boys team had a lot of new faces and with such a large turnout, many were just figuring out the events they wanted to do.”

In Highland’s one and only meet this season, Nalu Mack broke the school record in the boys javelin. Other seniors were eager to showcase their talents for college scouts as they prepared to move on to the next level.

Rowles said it’s an opportunity lost for those athletes, though some are planning on walking on at colleges. Senior Annie Murdock had already signed with the University of Utah.

“We were relieved that she didn’t have to count on her senior year in order to have that opportunity for a scholarship,” Rowles said.

During the suspension and subsequent cancellation, coaches aren’t allowed to have team meetings, so the boys and girls have “mostly been on their own,” Rowles said. He posted workouts online for those who wanted to stay in shape prior the cancellation announcement. Some Ram track and field athletes are training on their own.

Across the world, everyone is feeling the effects of COVID-19 in one way or another. For these high school athletes, Rowles knows the impact is significant. Still, he sees Highland track athlete Hadley Devey was set to enjoy her senior season with the team. The COVID-19 pansome silver lining and knows that the boys demic cut it short. (Photo by Jenny Mauro)

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Page 10 | May 2020

and girls, particularly the seniors, can learn lessons from this trial.

“Never take anything for granted,” he said. “You can’t live your life thinking, ‘wait until next year.’” You have to give your best effort at whatever you do in the moment because there might not be a ‘next year.’ Value your health and take care of yourself. Value those closest to you: family, friends and neighbors. Believe that things are going to get better and we all have a bright future.” l

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Sugar House City Journal

Continued from front page Then came cocaine and finally heroin, which set him off on “some pretty intense addiction.” Drugs took away the pain of being in a mind and body where intense anxiety, victimization, self-criticism, and a deep fear of rejection lived. “[I was] an egomaniac with an inferiority complex,” Astill said. He estimates that between ages 14 and 24 he was intoxicated “in some way every day.”

Between college classes he’d retreat to his car where he’d do lines of coke or smoke heroin to keep up his attention. “Oddly enough, when I was on them I could study really well. Drugs actually helped with one thing.” As the years pressed on, he was frequently homeless and jobless. Relationships came and went. He came close to death after a heroin overdose. Selling drugs paid for more drugs, but it was not enough. Over time, he forged $10,000 worth of checks from his dad’s account for his $200 to $300 daily heroin fix. “It all dulled my sense of reality,” he said. “There was deep shame, but I couldn’t stop. It felt very out of my control.”

After being caught stealing, his family confronted him and urged him to enter rehab, something he thought wouldn’t work. “I felt there was something innately wrong with me… that I was broken.” But, by that point he’d been sleeping with a gun beside him, was $35,000 in debt, and his only “friend” he could call on was his drug dealer. His family was the last thing he had left, and he didn’t

want to lose them.

He tried a 12-step recovery program, but bristled at some of their tenets. He saw a psychiatrist who prescribed a “cocktail of psych meds” that left him feeling totally apathetic. Finally he entered a rehab program that offered a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy model, which incorporated breathing exercises and meditation practice. “It was experiential, not intellectual,” Astill said, and that experience was transformational for him.

The practice of mindfulness

With mindfulness practice, he learned that thoughts are neutral, not good or bad.

“It’s the stories and narratives that we place behind them that start to give them power,” he said. “I gained awareness that it’s not the circumstances around me that are causing me to feel pain, it was how I was relating to them. Mindfulness gave me a space between stimulus and response.”

Mindfulness, he said, is a mental practice that focuses one’s awareness on being in the present moment. By tuning into the breath and senses in real time, one can acknowledge thoughts and feelings that flit through the mind, but not engage with them.

One can observe a thought passing through without judgment and return to the present moment by connecting to the breath.

Another aspect that clicked with Astill was that mindfulness isn’t out to “fix” anything. Instead, it teaches that “we are enough, we are whole, but there are a variety

of thoughts, beliefs and identifications that may distract you from that. When you become aware of what those distractions are, you have the choice to engage them or not.

That was a really powerful paradigm shift to recognize that.”

Astill said that paying attention to one’s breath and being in the present moment sounds simple, but it’s not easy. In our culture, the media often depicts mindfulness as something that will instantly make you “happier, fitter, more calm, more relaxed, all the things that sound really nice,” he said. While mindfulness does trend toward the positive he says the practice takes work and requires tuning into all emotional states and bodily sensations, including unpleasant ones, and not becoming stuck in them.

The skills developed from a consistent, long-term practice gave Astill what he needed—a connection to a better version of himself. “I knew that person was there, but I could never seem to access or touch,” he said. “Slowly, over time, I started doing things in a way that wasn’t harming me or others.”

And, he found that mindfulness practice didn’t mean just sitting in silence. It could be applied to running, something he had enjoyed pre-addiction. “I started applying mindfulness practices to eating (well) and running,” he said. “That first started with just trying to get through a mile a day, five days a week. It became a moving meditation practice for me.” He’s since completed one half

and one full Ironman Triathlon and several trail-running ultramarathons.

Observing his own before-and-after transformation, Astill said, “We have an insane amount of ways to disconnect, numb and distract and never be fully present. These practices are becoming more and more of an important way for people to connect back with themselves, people they love, and the world in general that doesn’t harm them or others.”

Today, the only high Astill gets is washing the windows of Salt Lake’s skyscrapers through his own cleaning company. It’s a job that lets him indulge his perfectionist, obsessive tendencies to get things clean, plus the outside view is nice. But what makes him feel the best he says is when a part of his life is spent in service to others. So, he makes time to help at rehab centers and in youth wilderness therapy programs, often volunteering to mentor the most difficult teenager. And each Sunday, he teaches a free mainstream mindfulness class that’s open to all at Tune In Mindfulness, a new downtown studio.

“It’s my duty and joy to share [mindfulness practice] with others…there is a possibility of healing and experiencing a beautiful part of themselves,” he said. “I get a lot of joy sharing with others and seeing the light come on.”

Visit tuneinmindfulness.com for Astill’s teaching schedule which also includes his yoga classes. l

Eat well to perform well

By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

W

hether doing squat jumps and mountain climbers in your basement or running (with social distancing in mind) at your local park, people are finding ways to train for their preferred sports. But one important aspect to remember is nutrition.

The topic of sports nutrition is likely to spark constant change and intriguing research for a competitive or recreational athlete.

“It can all depend on the type of activity you are doing as to what you should be eating,” Andrea Talbot, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Bariatric Medicine Institute in Salt Lake City, said.

What is sports nutrition?

Nutrition is the foundation of athletic success. A well-designed nutrition plan allows active athletes to perform at their best.

The right type of food will supply energy, nutrients and fluids to keep the body hydrated and functioning at peak levels.

“Think about food as being fuel,” said personal trainer at Drive Personal Performance Center Kenyon James. “For a race car to perform at its best it needs clean fuel, the best it can get. If you go get unleaded fuel from the gas station before the race it will never go fast. The same is true for an athlete.

If they eat junk food the body will not work well.”

The energy our bodies need for the best

MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

body function comes from three main food groups.

Carbohydrates are either simple or complex. Simple carbs include sugars that occur naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables and milk. Breads and potatoes are examples of complex carbs. The digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into glucose which feeds energy to the body’s cells.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. It plays an important role in muscle recovery and growth.

Fats provide energy to the body and protect our organs and cell membranes.

A well-designed diet and plan will include sufficient calories and healthy nutrients. Depending on the activity the athlete may adjust his intake for his or her needs.

“I used to eat like five to six thousand calories when I was riding my bike in training,” former competitive cyclist Kiley Cook said. “I eat a lot less now, but weigh about 15 pounds more. My dad bod is coming in nicely.”

Cook said his failure to adjust diet could be affecting the way his body digests the food he is eating.

Endurance event participants of one to two hours daily should eat three to five grams of carbs per pound of body weight to keep up with demand of energy on the body. A

200-pound man should eat approximately 600g of carbohydrates, but should use minimal amounts of fat and proteins the day of an event according to active.com.

If activities last more than one hour it is important to replenish the electrolytes and glucose, sports drinks and fluids are a good idea for endurance athletes.

Resistance training programs are designed to build strength. Protein intake is especially vital. According to werywellfit.com protein requirements can vary by body type and fitness level.

We all lose body water throughout the day. Athletes lose additional body water through sweat. Fluid replacement is an essential part of a nutrition plan to maintain the body’s optimum performance.

“If you feel thirsty you’re already becoming dehydrated,” Talbot said. “Drinking is a very personal thing during training. You do not necessarily need electrolytes replacement unless the activity takes more than 90 minutes.”

Whether exercising as a competitive athlete or for health improvement, sport nutrition should play an important role in your success. It can help enhance performance, improve recovery and make reaching goals possible. l

A long distance runner should be concerned about the food they eat to maximize their performance. West Jordan junior Abigail Jackson uses the high school trainers and coaches to learn what is best for her performance. (Greg James/City Journals)

May 2020 | Page 11

How will COVID-19 impact K-12 education?

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

M

any educators say students’ academic retention will plunge greater than that of the typical summer slide from the prolonged COVID-19-induced school closure — and preliminary research is supporting that.

NWEA, a not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide with assessments and research services, studied what summer learning loss can tell educators about the potential impact of school closures has on student academic achievement.

In their April 2020 findings, NWEA researchers concluded, “students will return in fall 2020 with roughly 70% of the learning gains in reading relative to a typical school year. However, in mathematics, students are likely to show much smaller learning gains, returning with less than 50% of the learning gains and in some grades, nearly a full year behind what we would observe in normal conditions.”

While many school districts plan to give assessments to students in the fall to determine the actual amount of reviewing and reteaching that may be necessary, Mathnasium of Cottonwood Heights owner Mila Gleason said the impact may be even greater with students who already are struggling.

“Some of these students may not have a structure in place or a support system and are needed to help with their family situations,” she said. “We may see an increased divide.”

That may be from helping care for younger siblings to working to help sustain the family, leaving little time for homework.

Students may also not have the additional in-

come needed to attend college in the future or the ability or time to seek out counselors to help figure out college financial aid packages, researchers said.

Hillcrest High Principal Greg Leavitt said it’s been a challenge.

“This is something we didn’t plan for in this massive way, to have school shut down for more than a day or two,” he said. “It’s a different kind of challenge, foreign to all us, and there’s no way we can deliver the product we normally do. Our teachers are teaching 30 minutes versus 70 minutes in normal classrooms. Some students are doing well and keeping up the rigor. Others we’re trying to keep motivated and learning; it’s a different world right now.”

Park Lane Elementary Principal Justin Jeffery said his staff is following up with students who haven’t checked in on a Zoom meeting or haven’t grabbed a packet, with emails, phone calls and even with a certified letter.

“We all know this is not the same as instruction in our classrooms, but what our teachers don’t want are huge learning losses,” he said. “We haven’t been in this situation before, but the silver lining is that we all will be better with teaching with technology and offering blended learning. Many of us haven’t pushed to learn everything until now, when we’re forced to, and so we’re becoming much more tech-savvy. I’ve never done social media so I’m finally coming into the 21st century.”

Utah’s schools may have an advantage over other states, Utah Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning Darin Nielsen said.

“We’ve worked to provide technology to our schools throughout our state,” he said. “We’ve infused money to increase the number of devices and training in distance learning. We have a real emphasis on blending learning.”

West Kearns Elementary dual immersion third-grade teacher Daisy Reyes said the soft closure caught her off guard, but her new norm is teaching online from her living room.

“I’ve been continuing to read the story we were reading in class, being consistent, so students can look forward to this time every day,” she said. “It’s ideal to be there in person, but the benefit of technology is that we’re still able to make some face-to-face connections through the screen and we are all learning how to use technology more.”

Indian Hills science teacher Rachel Afualo said that she had to step up her learning when it came to Canvas.

“This has helped me become more open-minded to digital learning and gain more resources as a teacher,” she said. “I can create labs online and use them in the future, when a student is absent. And we can look at the way we’re teaching and discover more ways to interact with students and find more opportunities and platforms to connect with them. It’s a different territory and I’m learning to be more flexible working with it.”

Granite School District Director of Technology Chris Larsen said that his school tech specialists and media center specialists have been reaching out to help teachers and parents, helping them learn digital platforms so they can connect with students.

“Our teachers know how to teach, and

in a matter of days, have taken their curriculum to provide it to students face to face through technology so students can continue to learn,” he said. “We are all making this the best situation for families and kids.”

Larsen said that more than 20,000 Chromebooks have been checked out to Granite School District families. Murray School District’s secondary schools already are on a 1:1 device ratio, but the District also checked out Chromebooks for younger students. Canyons District also checked out Chromebooks to families who indicated a need and worked with providers to provide free internet access as a temporary solution to the crisis.

This may lead to innovation in education, something many educators applaud, like Summit Academy seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher Natalie Sluga.

“A lot of positive can come from this,” she said. “We can tap into creativity, we can use more platforms, more apps, more ways and ideas in education.”

The combination of asynchronous online learning tools (such as reading material through Google Classroom) with synchronous face-to-face video instruction could turn into the new norm, educators said.

Butler Elementary Principal Jeff Nalwalker said that now there is different sense of urgency in learning to teach online.

“We are making sure our community understands what teachers are doing and doing admirably,” he said. “We had teachers who were timid to try new things, jumping out of their comfort zone to learn new technology. There’s no way to duplicate the experience of our professional instructors in person, but this is giving us an opportunity to look at blending learning opportunities in elementary school. We could see asynchronous delivery and then doing it together in a synchronous model that would allow more in-depth discussions and new opportunities for learning.”

Nalwalker also said that he would like to look into checking out Chromebooks to students to use during their elementary years.

“Students will have greater access and can empower their own learning. It can become a habit that is integrated into daily routines,” he said.

Families also may play a greater part of students’ education, Altara Elementary Principal Nicole Svee Magann said.

“Families have slowed down and family dinner has returned for the majority,” she said. “There’s more time they are connecting together, playing games and interacting with one another. Parents are stepping into teaching roles and are appreciating what teachers do more and are working together to ensure With students no longer in classrooms, educators now question what the impact of COVID-19 online education will be in the new academic year. (Julie Slama/City students are learning.” l Journals)

Page 12 | May 2020

Sugar House City Journal

Online school administrator offers tips on virtual education

By Libby Allnatt | l.allnatt@mycityjournals.com

To the families we serve, The Larkin Mortuaries and Cemeteries are proud and honored to be assisting families and friends with their loss for the past 135 years. Given the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for you to know that we as funeral directors are taking precautions to limit exposure to the coronavirus. As we have always done, we are still operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week making certain that those entrusted to our care and the families we serve are receiving uninterrupted service and attention.

A playground in Midvale is closed to visitors on April 16. Closures to slow the spread of COVID-19 have led to many empty playgrounds and schoolyards. (Libby Allnatt/City Journals)

W

ith Utah classrooms set to be closed for the remainder of the academic year, teachers, parents and students continue to adjust.

Social distancing guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19 have altered the daily lives of Utahns in everything from grocery shopping to working from home. As schools closed their doors in March, students found themselves thrust into learning remotely as teachers had to move lessons online in lieu of face-to-face instruction.

Erin Taylor, the principal of online school Utah Connections Academy and a school administrator of 15 years, said her advice to parents helping their children do school from home and teachers moving their lessons online is the same: keep things simple.

“What is most important? What’s the objective? Then work backward,” she said.

“We don’t have to be bringing the new flashy things in. Hit the basics, do what’s right in front of you. Having that be your daily objective would make less stress.”

While communication is important, too much can be overwhelming.

“I think everyone’s being bombarded on both sides with ideas. The best advice I can give is to simplify things,” she said.

Scheduling your day with a basic outline of tasks to do can be helpful for students doing their schoolwork virtually (and adults adjusting to working from home).

“It’s hard to put it away for an hour and come back to it,” Taylor said. “I think it’s

MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

best to schedule it in, then check the box that you’re done with the day.”

She also advises students to reach out to their teachers if they need help.

“We’re all learning as we go. Ask questions, and check in with your teacher rather than get frustrated,” she said. “On the other side is a person that wants to help.”

The current situation is here to stay a little while longer: Gov. Gary Herbert announced on April 14 that all public K-12 schools would continue to be closed through the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year.

But despite the challenges that come with any changes in one’s learning environment, there can be positive sides to remote learning as well, said Taylor.

“We see the advantage in that it allows people to focus on education and then be done with it for the day and move on to something else,” she said. “The flexibility is the best thing that virtual education brings.”

Taylor emphasized that with so much uncertainty, putting in your best efforts each day is all you can do.

“In this unprecedented time, we all need to cut ourselves a lot of slack,” she said. “If we’re doing the best we can, that’s good enough.”

She compares the current situation to learning a foreign language: not something that can be completely mastered overnight.

“If we could just be conversational…

We don’t need a mastery of the language,” she said. l

In the last days and weeks, the Larkin management have been in regular contact with numerous state and federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, National Funeral Directors Association and the Salt Lake County Health Department. Our continuing goal is ensuring the health and safety of the public and that the information we receive is as current and accurate as possible. These are just some of the changes we are implementing: • We are sanitizing our facilities several times daily • We are asking staff to stay home when possible • We are encouraging arrangements by phone and email • We are limiting the gathering size of our arrangement conferences, services and gravesides to meet the state and federal mandates That said, people will still be passing away and families will want to say goodbye. We still have a myriad of options. Your funeral director will explain ways that you can memorialize your loved one in a meaningful way.

If you are experiencing a cough, fever, or shortness of breath, we encourage you to not attend funeral services. Reach out to the Larkin location handling services and we will be willing to share your sympathies with the family of the deceased and they may also offer some other options to let the bereaved know that you support and care for them during this difficult time. Notes of sympathy may also be left on our website for the family to see. Every obituary on our website allows for online condolences.

Sincerely, The Staff of Larkin Mortuaries and Cemeteries

Helping Families Heal for Over 135 Years Larkin Mortuary 260 East South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 363-5781

Larkin Sunset Lawn 2350 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 582-1582

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Larkin Mortuary Riverton 3688 West 12600 South Riverton, UT 84065 (801) 254-4850

LarkinMortuary.com May 2020 | Page 13

Celebrating poetry while staying in our hives

By Katy Whittingham | k.whittingham@mycityjournals.com

L

ike many events, the second annual Utah Poetry Festival, scheduled for April 18 on the University of Utah campus was cancelled. But Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal has suggestions for celebrating poetry from home.

Joel Long and City Arts are hosting video poems by Utah poets on their Facebook pages, and there are many other poets uploading videos of themselves reading on Twitter.

As for podcasts, Rekdal said, “Please check out ‘The Slowdown’ for a brief moment of poetry, hosted by former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, or go to the Poetry Foundation, which has regular poetry discussions online and on their own podcasts.”

Rekdal recognizes that, “it’s a tough time for artists now,” so poetry enthusiasts should check out who has a new book out and Rosebud Ben Oni has put together a comprehensive list on the Kenyon Review site.

“It’s a great way to support writers and

poets and see how vibrant the poetry publishing world still is,” Rekdal said. The list titled, “Open to All: A Crowd Sourced List of Over 300 Mid-2019 to 2020 Poetry Titles,” can be found at kenyonreview.org. One of the many standouts is the recently released St. Julien Press title, “Still-Life With God,” by Virginia-based poet and teacher Cynthia Atkins.

Atkins admits that it’s a strange time to have a collection come out and rely so much on social media to connect to readers, but she remains hopeful about our connection through poetry nonetheless. “When we are tested to the brink, I’m hoping our best humanity shows through,” she said.

Another easy accessible resource is “Poets in Pajamas” a free, online reading series run through Facebook Live that connects readers and writers across the world. Readings take place twice per month on Sundays at 7 p.m. ET and can be found on their Facebook page. Massachusetts-based poet Tzyn-

ya Pinchback, featured in episode 62, discusses her celebration through writing about everyday happenings like “sun on my face” and “a good cup of coffee” since her battle with cancer, which is inspiring in these times when no big events are taking place.

The Utah Poet Laureate represents communities, schools and libraries and is a governor appointed advocate for poetry, literature and the arts in the state. The position was established in 1997. Rekdal, an award-winning writer, has held the position since 2017 and teaches at the University of Utah, where she is the creator and editor of the community web project, “Mapping Salt Lake City.” To read more about Rekdal visit paisleyrekdal.com.

The Utah State Poetry Society, “an organization dedicated to the creation and appreciation of poetry” and founded in 1950, also has links for events, contests, publications, resources and more at utahpoets.com l

Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal. (Photo by Emily London)

Former Utah First Lady’s books address internet safety at a time when more students are online

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

R

ight in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, former Utah First Lady Jackie Leavitt launched the sixth book in the Faux Paw series she has co-written — and said it’s a perfect time to do so.

“Children are at home as we practice social distancing to avoid the coronavirus, but they also are likely spending more time being connected on the internet through technology,” Leavitt said. “But we want the children to be safe online and understand the importance of guidelines while using the internet.”

Her series of adventures address internet safety with Faux Paw – a now 20-year-old orange polydactyl (six-toed) cat who used to reside in her husband’s office when Mike Leavitt was governor.

“Faux Paw was the perfect way to talk about internet safety with school children,” she said. “People would come to the office to see the cat even more than the governor.

There was so much interest in the cat, that it just fit he would be the mascot or the star of the books.”

While the cat at one time had his own website, now the former First Lady said the books about Faux Paw the Techno Cat are available as a free online resource to parents on iKeepSafe.org under the family access tab. In addition, each elementary school throughout the state has two copies of each book in the series.

“In each of the books, Faux Paw the Techno Cat addresses different issues and gets curious and into trouble, but he has good friends who help him understand how to be a

Page 14 | May 2020

Left: This cartoon cat, the star of the Faux Paw the Techno Cat series, reminds school children how to be respectful and ask permission before safely uploading photos online in his free, new book launched at ikeepsafe.org. (Photo courtesy of Jackie Leavitt)

good digital citizen. In this last book, “Faux Paw and the Unfortunate Upload-Digital Ethics for Kids,” he posts pictures of the band without permission and learns how important it is to treat others well to have their respect,” she said.

The books begin with Faux Paw learning firsthand about privacy online. In another book, he learns what to do if someone says something untrue with the help of former U.S. First Lady Laura Bush. The other books address balancing screen time as Faux Paw

gets distracted playing online games, illegal downloading when he wants to get a new song, and making healthy media choices.

The series aren’t written on her own. After consulting with two child psychologists, Leavitt said she “wrote the nuts and bolts” of the stories. She credits co-author Sally S. Linford for making the stories “more fun and clever” as well as illustrator Adrian Ropp, who “was able to take a very difficult subject and add an element of fun and comfort to it.”

The books also come with internet resources, discussion questions and the newest, with catchy informative tunes to familiar melodies.

With precautions taken for COVID-19, this time with children at home can be a unique window that can be used for learning digital ethics and positive online skills, she said.

“We know that many of our youth will have more access and be online during this time and with parents trying to teach and work at home, this is a free way to communicate how to be a good citizen online,” Leavitt said.

Healthy living in a “connected world” does require these necessary skills and conversations, she said.

Seeing the need for those conversations in her own family inspired Leavitt to write about the issues surrounding being online.

She also heard the need to address these concerns from other parents – including the last one from her daughter.

“In each of these books, there are dif-

ferent topics that can be looked at and talked with our children and youth and there are additional resources, such as ‘Be Internet Awesome,’ that can be accessed for free on the page,” Leavitt said. “It’s a fun way to get kids interested in talking about being safe online.

They know so many things, but as parents, we need to make sure our children and teens do it safely.” iKeepSafe originated in 2003 as an effort from the Leavitts, then grew as the First Spouses from other states joined.

While Leavitt has written other books ranging on experiences such as hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics and the tornado that uprooted 90 trees on the capitol lawn, she is dedicated to the cat who gives schoolchildren practical internet lessons.

“I enjoy writing,” said the former elementary school teacher. “It’s more compelling and necessary to write about online safety. It’s vital our parents and children know about it and are making healthy online choices.”

Once schools resume, Leavitt plans to read about Faux Paw’s latest adventure to school children and share with them internet safety rules she’ll pass out on bookmarks — and she may even be asked what is Faux Paw the Techno Cat’s next adventure.

“If there are new areas that we need to address, then I’ll write another,” Leavitt said.

“There’s no set number, but we do the books as we need them to ensure the children’s, students’ safety online.” l

Sugar House City Journal

Spring season cancellation stuns Highland boys tennis team

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

The Highland boys tennis team got in one match this season before it was abruptly cancelled. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Elsholz)

I

t’s been quite a ride for the senior class on the Highland boys tennis team.

When Jeanine Elsholz took over the team as head coach, this year’s seniors were freshmen. The program had struggled for years, but Elsholz and the boys were dedicated and made consistent strides. Together, the team rose, becoming highly competitive through hard work and development.

Unfortunately, none of the seniors got to complete their four-year experience on the team.

The 2020 season wasn’t to be—cut well short after just a single match. The COVID-19 pandemic made sure that none of the seniors would finish their careers the way they wanted. Knowing this has been heartbreaking for Elsholz.

She was on her way home from a match at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City when she got the news that school and all activities would be suspended for two weeks. Officials later extended that to May 1 and then for the rest of the academic year. The news is still shocking.

“I still can’t even believe this is happening,” she said. “Six weeks ago, I could never have guessed that we would be in this position. At the time, I thought we would be out for maybe a month at most; it didn’t even cross my mind that the season could be over. I

MyS ugar HouseJournal .com

thought we would at least be able to salvage a couple of weeks if nothing else. I don’t think the reality of having no region or state tournament, no senior day, no year-end banquet has even hit me yet. It just does not seem real.”

Elsholz praises her seniors for their preparation and commitment. She considers the team to be a family and was eager to see what the boys were made of this season.

“Our senior leaders have been the hardest workers on the team over the past couple of years, and I was very excited to watch them play this season, win or lose,” she said.

“They will be really hard to replace next year.

The seniors that weren’t on varsity have also played such a huge role in the success of our team. They have each added so much. I can’t imagine our team without them. They will all be missed in a big way.”

Senior Isaac Brickey entered the season hoping to represent the school as the team’s No. 1 singles player at region and state. He is trying to cope with the situation, keeping the big picture in perspective. He’s also grateful for his experience as a Highland Ram. “It’s really frustrating that I spent so long working to get to my position on the team to be able to play against the top players in the state, and now I no longer have

that opportunity,” Brickey said. “I think that it’s very important to focus on the things that you can control, rather than mourn the things you can’t. Every player is in the same situation. It’s just disappointing this occurred during my senior season. I really enjoy the family atmosphere that the tennis team creates at Highland. The coaches are extremely dedicated to the players and push to make sure that every player feels included. I have loved the great competition and good sportsmanship, but most of all, I enjoyed playing the sport I love with my close friends.”

Fellow senior Jake Bauman, who was trying to overcome an injury when the season began, echoes Brickey’s comments. He understands the seriousness of COVID-19 but will miss the team dearly.

“This season’s cancellation has been a bummer,” he said. “Working really hard all summer, especially for the past three years, just to have it all cancelled, doesn’t seem fair.

However, I know that is for the best, and we need to prevent this disease as much as we can. I’ll always be grateful for my coaches and the things they taught me and the relationships I’ve made. I love Highland tennis.”

Senior Thomas Wenzel, who rose from the junior varsity ranks to grab a spot at first dou-

bles this year, knows that high school athletes all across the state are going through the same thing he and his teammates are experiencing.

“The main thing that has helped me deal with the disappointment is knowing that everyone is going through similar situations,” he said. “Everyone who played a spring sport lost their season, so it helps knowing we are all in this together.”

Elsholz said the most challenging aspect of this ordeal is that there wasn’t time to emotionally prepare for it. One day, everyone was thrilled about the prospects of a successful season, and the next day, it was abruptly over.

There is so much uncertainty ahead.

“I completely understand the safeguards put in place and commend the schools for acting so quickly to protect all of our students, and we definitely wanted to do our part to help control the spread of the virus,” she said. “There is no question about that. At this point, it is just something we have to deal with, and the boys have actually been pretty incredible in handling it all. The question for me right now is, what will be the new normal? Will we have a fall season, a season next spring? There are so many unanswered questions right now about the state of high school sports. Only time will tell.” l

May 2020 | Page 15

Living Planet Aquarium videos bring animals to public

By Jenniffer Wardell | j.wardell@mycityjournals.com

W

e can’t go to the aquarium right now, so the aquarium is doing its best to come to us.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has spent the last several weeks offering free educational videos through their social media accounts that highlight different aspects of the aquarium. The videos started with the Scarlet’s Adventure series, which took a macaw to visit some of the aquarium’s other residents. They’ve since expanded to several different types of videos, ranging from crafts and science projects to behind-the-scenes explanations of various aspects of the aquarium.

“People are still learning and are looking for resources,” said Brent Beardsley, public programs manager at the aquarium. “People are looking for things to watch especially for their children to help them learn. We want to help give people those resources so that they will have something wonderful and fun to see and experience right from home.”

The first series, Scarlet’s Adventure, is a 12-part series that can be viewed in its entirety through the aquarium’s website: thelivingplanet.com/scarletsadventure. The series showed Scarlet visiting everyone from sloths and otters to penguins and other birds, with other team members answering questions and offering insights into the animals. One video

lesley Scoville, endotherms keeper at the aquarium, feeds a sloth in one of the Scarlet’s Adventure videos. (Photo courtesy of Loveland Living Planet Aquarium)

even discusses the plants of South America that help the native animals there thrive.

“Primarily, our mission is to inspire people to explore, discover, and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems. We also aim to foster a sense of stewardship for all life on the planet,” Beardsley said. “With that in mind, and given that families and teachers

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Page 16 | May 2020

are now isolated at home, we want to provide engaging, entertaining, and educational experiences that connect people with the Aquarium’s mission.”

Their newest video project involves special themed videos for each day of the week that focus on different subjects. Monday videos focus on aquarium-themed crafts and art projects, while the Tuesday videos feature animal trivia. Thursday videos mostly focus on simple science experiments that families can do at home. The series can be found on the aquarium’s YouTube page.

“One of my favorite parts is how everyone has been working together on (the videos) – animal care, marketing, education and more,” Beardsley said. “As we are doing more videos than we normally do, we are bringing in more people and letting them showcase their ideas and talents.”

Of course, it’s not always easy.

“One of the biggest difficulties is remote meetings and work,” he said. “It’s tricky to do it all while maintaining social distancing.”

Beyond the technical challenges that come with putting the videos together in a time of social distancing, Beardsley said that his team misses aquarium guests as much as the guests miss being able to visit.

Register “The thing that we miss the most is being able to see the faces and reactions of our guests,” he said. “To see that moment of ‘wow’ and ‘aha’ as they experience the aquarium.”

There has been one unexpected side benefit, however.

“We have done more deep cleaning, and now the Aquarium is sparkling clean,” he said.

Until everyone can come and see the animals in their newly sparkling habitats, however, he added that the aquarium staff will continue working to bring some of that

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magic to people’s homes.

“We hope that our viewers will have fun and learn something,” he said. “We want them to experience curiosity and a sense of wonder. This pandemic is not going to last forever, but the learning that children engage in and their sense of wonder at the natural world is something that will.” l

Sugar House City Journal

May the Healing Begin, a letter from our publisher

Dear Readers,

I probably failed to mention something very important last month, there is a better and probably easier way to help support the journals. Since the Journals are funded by advertising dollars, you can help us by doing business with our advertisers and letting them know you have seen their ads in the Journals and that you appreciate them doing business with the Journals. It is their advertising dollars that have kept the Journals printing over the last 29 years.

Like most local businesses the Journals will be hurt from the pandemic, with the actions taken to shut down business many of our advertisers were forced to close their doors. With closed doors there was no reason for them to advertise. This quickly reduced the amount of advertising we had in the Journals. We have been hurt, but we will survive and the Journals will continue to print and hit your mailbox during the first week of the month.

Last month for the first time as being a publisher I used some of our space in the newspaper to write a letter to the readers. I would rather save our newspaper for the news or advertisers, as opposed to my ramblings. However, I felt compelled to follow up with another letter this month.

Last month I informed readers that they could donate to the Journals by using our new website (donate.thecityjournals.com) or by sending us a check. We have had a steady outpouring of generosity since then. We collected donations ranging from $5 to $100. We are so thankful for each of these donations.

We are committed to making sure that these funds are used to improve the reader experience with the newspaper. Over the next few months I will update all those who have donated on how the funds were used.

One of the downsides of the newspaper business is that we don’t always get to hear from our readers. Over this last month we have heard loud and clear from many of you. Until next month, And with each email, note, letter, and donation we are filled with joy and a sense of val- Bryan Scott idation for the work that we do.

Publisher, City Journals

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May 2020 | Page 17

The Social Media Scandal - What I Learned During Quarantine Hopefully by the time this reaches your mail we are beginning to dip our big toe back into life again. Like many others, being thrust into solitary confinement, left me with some spare time to spend on social media, and thanks to my friends I learned so much about how to handle this disaster. With the vast array of opinions, I found putting it all together difficult though, but I gave it shot anyway. It’s all as clear as mud now, here’s what I learned.

Working from Home: If you are able to work from home you are lucky, unless you are required to work from home, then it’s horrible and you wished you could go to work, because working from home is too much work.

Keeping a Healthy Diet: In effort not to get sick we should eat well, but we should not go out to get healthy fresh food when we run out and eat whatever pre-packaged food we have on hand instead. However, we should order out at our local restaurants to help keep them in business. Then it’s okay to go out to pick up the food. Your food might be prepared by someone sick that doesn’t know they are sick, but it’s okay if you pay by credit card and take the food out of the container. However, you should avoid going to the grocery store at all costs because you might get sick.

Getting Sick: Wearing a mask is not helpful, but if you get sick you should wear a mask. But, don’t go to the hospital if you’re sick, because you might get sick if you do.

You might be sick and not know you’re sick,

by

Joani Taylor

so you should wear a mask even while driving alone in the car alone.

The Press: Every article starts with a panic headline designed to shock us. But when we read the article, we find it’s not so shocking after all and perhaps even a little boring, except when our friends post these articles to social media. Then we never read the article, we just start divisive arguments based on the shocking headline instead.

Politics: We are all be untied as American’s; we are proud, and this is the time we shine. But, if there’s a government action that we don’t approve of, then we are not united if we disagree with our friend. We might even be called names, because name calling on social media is okay. Huh???

Love: We love our partners so much we could not live without them, they are our everything, unless we have to live with them non-stop. Then we feel we’d rather live without them.

Home Schooling: Teachers are the saints and I can no longer remember why I even had kids.

Grandparents: You can’t see your grandkids, but if you’re a grandparent and work in a grocery store or pharmacy, then you can see someone else’s grandkids. You can avoid getting the virus and still see your grandkids virtually by using a computer program called Zoom but, watch out, your computer might get a virus instead.

Earthquakes: In the event of an earthquake get outside, but otherwise don’t go outside it’s not safe. Also, keep in mind that on the annual practice day called ShakeOut, there might really be an earthquake, then it’s no longer a practice day and you can go outside.

In all seriousness, I hope what every person takes away from this crisis, is to be prepared financially for an emergency. At Coupons4Utah.com we have spent the last 12 years helping families save a buck. Hopefully we will all remember to put that buck in the bank for next time.

For those families living without a loved one because of this virus, my deepest sympathies to you and yours. Be safe out there.l

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As soon as COVID-19 hovered in the air we breathe, I went into full-on “Gone With the Wind” Scarlett O’Hara mode, ripping up bed sheets to make toilet paper and stockpiling moonshine for antiseptic. Of course, Scarlett was useless in an emergency. For the majority of the Civil War, she whined and married rich men.

I’m also pretty useless in emergencies.

When I knew the shelter-in-place edict was coming, I didn’t stockpile food, I scurried to the library to check out all the books.

After hoarding four months of library books, I told everyone in the house (my husband, my daughter and her two children, ages 3 and 8) to check their 72-hour kits.

They responded, “What 72-hour kits?”

Not a good start.

In the shed, I located an emergency essentials bag that looked like it had housed a family of weasels. Along with 10 years of dust, it contained an expired can of roasted almonds, a box of matches, a pair of underwear and a spatula.

We were doomed.

Tossing my hair like Scarlett, I tied on my shopping bonnet and sang out “fiddledee-dee” as I headed to the grocery store for provisions. By the time I got there, options were limited, unless I was keen on making a casserole with canned asparagus, creamed squid and buckwheat flour. I figured we’d just be creative with dinner. (Lesson learned: 3-year-old granddaughters don’t like creative dinners.)

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This has been the worst staycation ever. I do not recommend.

Both my husband and I can work from home, so we take turns sharing the home office space. One person works in the office with a comfy chair every other day, while the other person sits on a workout ball at a TV table in the bedroom.

It’s . . . complicated. And we’re adjusting to each other’s work behaviors.

Husband: Can you not leave dozens of half-empty water glasses by the computer?

Me: You silly scalawag! Are they half-empty? Or half-full?

Anyway, our attorneys are working out the final details.

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As life was boiled down to its necessities, I realized how often (in the before-times) I would bored-shop, bored-Starbucks and bored-TV-binge. Since March, I’ve narrowed that list down to bored TV binging. (Between “Better Call Saul” and “Ozark” I definitely

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know I should avoid the Mexican drug cartel.)

As warmer weather approaches, I miss shopping for new spring clothes. Looking back on how Scarlett made dresses out of her velvet draperies, I tried channeling her creative spirit again. It was tough to made clothes out of our window coverings since we only have wooden blinds. But I did my best.

Pictures not available.

We’re still in lock-down mode. I replenish our milk and produce once a week. We walk the dog a dozen times a day. We work and eat and read and play games and get on each other’s nerves and fight and make up and write hopeful messages on the sidewalk in colorful chalk.

Like Scarlett, there are lots of things I’ll worry about tomorrow. But if we have books to read, food to eat and our family is safe, I’m very content in my little corner of the world.l

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