Dec. 2023 | Vol. 9 Iss. 12
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STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE A WALK IN RUBY BRIDGES’ SHOES
By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
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mass of students, parents and teachers streamed down the street toward Falcon Ridge Elementary school on the morning of Nov. 14. Principal Theresa Christensen invited Falcon Ridge Elementary students to put themselves in the shoes of Ruby Bridges, the young girl who bravely walked into a newly desegregated school on Nov. 14, 1960. About 75 students and their families met Christensen and other school staff members at High Bluff Park before school to walk the half-mile to the school. Some students were chanting, some were waving flags from the goodie bags Christensen had handed out, and some were just thrilled to walk to school with their friends, but Christensen hoped they all were learning something. “Our school has become very diverse in recent years,” Christensen said. “I felt it is an important event in history that led us to the wonderful learning we gain from having a diverse student body.” A few days before the event, Christensen read two picture book stories about Ruby Bridges for her online Story Time with Ms. Christensen. She encouraged families to watch the stories and to discuss them to prepare for the commemorative walk. Heidi Ah Sue watched the videos with her kids, a kindergartener and a second grader. “I wanted them to know why we were walking and what happened with Ruby Bridges historically, that things aren't totally solved, but progress has been made,” Ah Sue
Seventy-five students, along with their parents and teachers, walk to Falcon Ridge Elementary school on the morning of Nov. 14 to commemo-
Continued page 10 rate Ruby Bridges. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)`
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Elementary honors veterans
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Nutcracker props and costumes
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Volleyball region title
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Here are
5 tips to survive the holiday season with your family:
1. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you have some bad feelings about others, acknowledge those feelings are there, and maybe for a good reason, but decide not to let them grow.
2. Set healthy boundaries. Healthy boundaries will help reduce stress and give you a sense of control over your environment.
3. Be sensitive to those around you. Utah has the nation’s highest rate of mental illness. Be aware that the holidays can be especially stressful for some people. Be on the lookout to help someone around you.
4. Have realistic expectations. Here’s the thing about families: You know a
lot about each other — the good and the bad. Avoid the temptation to make a case against those who bother you and make an effort to see their strengths in addition to their weaknesses in order to keep a balanced view. Remember this: everyone has something they’re battling.
5. There’s some very real pain out there. If you find yourself in an
emotionally abusive situation, you need to look for a healthier place to be. Families can come in all forms, so if relatives are distanced because of abuse or trauma, find your "family" with people who enhance your health and well-being.
Dec 2021.indd 1 WJournals est JAd ordan Journal .com
11/08/21 10:54 AM | Page 3 Dec. 2023
Purple Star school shows love to veterans By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
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hirty-three veterans were honored in a parade at Westland Elementary as part of their Veterans Day celebrations. The parade was led by bagpipe player John Barclay, West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton and members of Herriman High School’s JROTC color guard. Students who had invited family members, neighbors and friends who have served or are currently serving in a branch of the military walked with their special guests along the school hallways, which were lined with students and faculty members applauding and waving flags. Some students carried pictures of deceased veterans and others had displayed their pictures and dedications to deceased veterans on the Memorial Wall in the school’s front hallway. Fifth-grader Emily McKnight invited her neighbor Jim Facer to attend. He shared some of his stories with her from when he served on a Navy destroyer. “It’s neat because Emily has only heard of a destroyer playing the game Battleship,” Emily's mother, Christine said. “That’s the connections they make because they are so far removed from that world." In the program that followed the parade, students sang a medley of songs to recognize those who had served in each branch of the United States military. A beloved former Westland Elementary fifth grade teacher Kent Larson, a veteran, shared the history of Veterans Day. And Burton spoke with the students about the importance of honoring veterans and encouraged them to do their part to help make their community a safe place to live. “You may not be an adult yet, you may not have served in the armed services yet, but you still can do things to make our community a good and safe place to live, and one of those things is showing dignity to each other,” Burton said. The veterans, whose service ranged from World War II to currently active, were
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treated to a breakfast buffet after the program. Westland Elementary was recently designated as a Purple Star School, the only school in Jordan District to have earned that distinction. “A Purple Star School means that we’re a school who really tries hard to support our military families and I just couldn’t be prouder,” Westland Elementary Principal Laurie Goodsell said. Military families receive extra support from Westland Elementary students and staff members, who try to ease their transition, which often occurs in the middle of the school year. Members of the student council give new students a tour of the school and a goodie bag with a Westland Wildcats T-shirt and a book. The school website has a tab specifically for military families to provide relevant information and links to resources. Richard Packer walked in the Veterans Day parade with his daughter, giving hugs and high-fives to students he knows from being a regular school volunteer. Packer served in the Army for 20 years. He said when he was on active duty, he lived in military communities which provided a lot of support. However, after he retired a few years ago and moved into a nonmilitary community, he said the support wasn’t as prevalent. Packer said military families need to feel supported and he is pleased to see the role his daughter's school is playing to encourage that support. “It’s our family and friends and communities back home who make what we do possible,” he said. “So to have events like this, where we get to see the kids and see that we are an honored minority, that there is love and appreciation and respect and that so much time and effort has been put into helping us feel like we still matter and that what we did is valued.” Packer said military service is physically demanding and comes with a price.
Westland Elementary students celebrate Veterans Day with a parade. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)
Thirty-three military veterans were honored at Westland Elementary school’s Veterans Day parade. (Photo by Jessica Amy.)
“We can look around and see the evidence of what it cost to serve,” Packer said. “We carry those aches and pains with us every day, and today, it really doesn’t hurt as much
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Local helps those who haven’t danced in a while By Linda Steele | l.steele@mycityjournals.com
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ancers, if it has been a while since you've danced, then It’s Been A While Dance Company is the place for you to get back into it. Jackie Nuttall, owner/director of It’s Been A While Dance Company for 19 years, started dancing when she was a child. She got married and had her first child, and she wanted to keep dancing. But she couldn’t find any opportunities to dance. She started teaching children's classes at South Jordan Recreation Center. There was an adult beginning ballet class that she took over and started teaching a very small class. The classes, however, didn’t have a performance in conjunction with the learning. “What is the point for people to take lessons if they weren’t performing? If the students were just dancing for themselves and not performing, how were they going to improve? Dance is so you can share your passion, share your artistry, share your technique with others,” Nuttall said. Nuttall’s philosophy is that adults get busy, and if the classes don’t have a goal to work toward they will stop going to class. She realized what the adult classes needed was a community of dancers working toward a specific performance. Word spread and the classes took off. Her classes started out with six adults, now she has forty adults in her adult class. Nuttall started doing performances that had meaning and a storyline with a purpose, with the dancers acting out a true story about someone and what was going on in the person's life through their dance moves. “It becomes therapeutic for every-
Spanish dancers. (Photo courtesy Todd Horne)
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one in the class because they are dancing a story that might be close to their story,” she said. Nuttall teaches children as well as adults. She enjoys watching them grow and become a dancer. “It’s great to know you have an impact on your students and know you have played a role in their dance journey, it’s so rewarding,” she said. She has been teaching some of her students since they were 5 years old.I It is rewarding for her to see how much they improve. Nuttall’s students performed a story about Josephine Baker, a civil rights activist and an amazing dancer. Baker left America and went to Paris to dance. When Martin Luther King, Jr. died his wife asked Baker to take over his platform. The performance by Nuttall’s students was an opportunity for viewers to see beautiful dancing as well as learn about a prominent woman in dance and civil rights. Nuttall’s motivation is to tell women's stories while teaching dance. “As I’ve grown through the years, it is important to me to make sure there is a strong woman character in the story because as I study history nobody tells the women's stories; it's all about men. I’m really interested in telling stories about women we haven't heard before, and especially women dancers. Telling stories through dance is what has become important to me,” she said. Not only does Nuttall teach and choreograph, she also dances in her performances with her students. “It is very time consuming, but I think it is worth it because I have students who didn’t like to dance, but when they started to understand what
It’s Been A While Dance Company in 2022. (Photo courtesy Joe Grigg)
the dance is about, they connected with the idea and they started to like dance,” she said. Nuttall teaches at South Jordan Recreation Center, 10866 S. Redwood Road. She has considered opening up her own studio and calling it Storytellers or Stories That Dance, because “that is like the most important thing to me is that we are telling stories through dance,” she said. Nuttall majored in dance at Snow College. Her high school dance teacher at Sunwest Art of Dance made her take ballet classes. Her teacher was a stickler for making sure her students took ballet and learned technique. When she went to Snow College she signed up for a dance class, unaware it was a class only for those majoring in dance and required an audition. The teacher asked her why she was in the class when she hadn’t auditioned. Her response was, “I just want to dance.” The teacher told her that the first class would be her audition. After class the teacher pulled her aside and said, “You have something in you and you need to be a dance major, so change your major right now. And I'm giving you a partial scholarship.” Nuttall gives credit to her high school ballet teacher for being adamant about proper technique. Nuttall was made Vice President in the dance company her first year at Snow College. Her second year the teacher said, “you are going to be President in dance company, you are going to have a full scholarship in dance and you are going to choreograph.” She started doing a lot of choreography for Snow College Dance Company. The teacher told her, “you have a gift for choreogra-
Jackie Nuttall is the owner of It’s Been A While Dance Company. (Photo Courtesy Joe Grigg)
phy,” and Nuttall really believed her. “It is impactful how important teachers can be in your life,” Nuttall said. “The ladies that are taking dance from me always had a dream to dance, now they are dancing as adults and fulfilling their dream,” she said. It’s Been A While Dance Company is the perfect place for getting adult dancers out to dance class and fulfilling their dream of dancing. Nuttall teaches dance for every level. For more information go to www.itsbeenawhiledance.com. l
Dec. 2023 | Page 5
Experienced Jaguars ready to compete for region title in boys basketball By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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ith four starters back and a new region with new opponents, the West Jordan boys basketball team is optimistic that things this season will look a lot different than the previous one. Last season, the Jaguars struggled in a competitive Region 3 of Class 6A, finishing last with a 1-9 mark. Overall, West Jordan was 6-17. However, West Jordan is now part of 5A’s Region 4 where it will compete alongside Cyprus, Granger, Hunter, Kearns, Juan Diego and Taylorsville. “I am extremely excited for this year,” head coach Christian Wouden said. “We have four returners coming back from last year’s team. We are looking to continue to build on their experience, compete for a region championship and make some noise at the state tournament.” A strong senior class will headline the Jaguars’ lineup. Guards Colton Blackham, Steven Cox and Carter Dorenbosch enter their final seasons at West Jordan with extensive playing time under their belts. Fellow senior Ethan Black, a forward, joins the trio as a leader on the team. Wouden also expects big things from three other seniors: Elijah Young, Quinton Robinson and Alex Szymanski. “Each player has a different set of strengths and weaknesses,” Wouden said.
“We need every player on the entire team to be successful. Everyone needs to be a star in their role. Together we can make this a special season.” Blackham led the team in scoring last season as a junior with 16.2 points per game. He also averaged 4.7 rebounds a contest and dished out 100 assists. Black was second in scoring in 2022–23 with 8 points and 5 rebounds an outing. Dorenborsch tallied 5.6 points per game a season ago. Even though the Jaguars didn’t produce a lot of wins last season, it wasn’t due to lack of effort. Wouden admires his players’ attitudes and what they put into every game and practice. He hopes to see the team work together well and talk more on the court. “The team’s biggest strength is how hard [the players] play,” he said. “They are all so competitive and want to win. They are all unselfish and will do whatever they can to help the team be successful. One of biggest challenges is communicating on the court. We need to be more vocal. I tell my players all the time, ‘we play basketball in a gym, not a library.’” Besides the intangibles of the game, Wouden enjoys coaching this group of players. He said they listen and are eager to learn. He is impressed with how they act in and out of the gym.
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Head coach Christian Wouden returns for his third season. (File photo City Journals)
“They are all high-character individuals,” he said. “They are all extremely coachable and want to get better. They have great personalities; they are easy to get along with, and they spend a lot of time in the gym playing together.”
West Jordan got underway Nov. 21 when it hosted Region 1’s Davis. After a long non-region slate of games, West Jordan opens region play at home against Cyprus Jan. 3. The Jaguars will also play in the Tarkanian Classic tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, the week before Christmas. “I am beyond excited for this season,” Wouden said. “This is my third season as the head coach at West Jordan, and this group is special. They play so hard. They will never give up. Our theme for this season is GRIT. That’s exactly what these players have. We are going to be hard to beat this year. Everyone needs to come out and watch this special group play together. It will be well worth it.” l
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Colton Blackham returns for the experienced Jaguars this season. (File photo City Journals)
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La inteligencia artificial/artificial intelligence for multilingual students By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com Editor’s note: this is part of a series of articles about artificial intelligence in schools.
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ordan School District has 4,200 English language learners, also called multilingual students, which has pushed educators to look for effective methods and tools to provide a good education for these students. “As teachers, we always want to try and do better to help all of our students, including our multilingual ones,” fourth grade teacher Elizabeth Clay said. “Just based on our abilities and our students’ abilities, we do what we can with the resources that we have and through help from others at the school as well, using their skills and what resources they have to help our students.” Many teachers get their ESL endorsement and receive training on teaching strategies for students who are learning English as a second language. Common strategies include using hands-on activities and visual demonstrations. An example is when fifth-grade teacher McKenna Stowell tears paper into pieces to teach the concept of fractions. “My ESL students are able to pick up on what I am doing even though there is a language barrier,” Stowell said. “Students are hearing what I’m saying but they are also visually seeing what I am saying.” Elementary teachers often use pictures to label classroom objects in multiple languages to help students build their vocabulary. Secondary teachers incorporate pictures into study guides to help explain concepts. But these simple techniques have limited impact. Technology tools, including AI, provide teachers and multilingual students with the resources for effective learning to take place. Laura Halverson, English Language Development coordinator at Joel P. Jensen Middle School, said Chromebook tools, such as speech-to-text and translation settings, allow multilingual students to navigate websites and get real time translation of teachers’ instruction. Teachers have found additional translation tools to meet their needs. “There's a lot of those types of apps nowadays,” Clay said. “You can take pictures of worksheets or documents and it'll translate it into Spanish for them so they can read it on there and fill out the worksheet. I use the app to translate it and it will also read it out loud, too, so that way [the student] can hear it in Spanish and is able to more easily follow along with what we're doing.” West Jordan Middle School teachers and students use Microsoft Translate, which requires a class code to join a conversation. Users can choose a language for written translations and a voice type and accent in which to hear the translation read aloud. West Jordan Middle Principal Eric Price said that because Microsoft Translate uses a
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large language model, the same model as OpenAI ChatGPT, the translations will become increasingly more accurate. “We are using AI to level the playing field for English language learners,” Price said. Price is constantly discovering new AI tools that benefit teachers and students. One app he recommends to teachers makes the translation process more natural. “You can clone your own voice, and then you can change it into different languages,” Price said. “So you can have the same lesson be taught, or the same video can be made, in multiple different languages.” Price recorded a video about parent conferences using an AI tool called HeyGen. It not only translated the audio in his own voice to speak another language, but also made his mouth move in sync to the new audio so that it appeared that he was actually speaking the language. Price is quick to share tools he discovers with his staff and colleagues, just as most educators who’ve embraced AI technologies. Clay said some of the tools she uses to translate assignments, provide vocabulary definitions, access bilingual lessons and differentiate the reading level and language of a text were introduced to her by colleagues. “There's a bunch of things online, and that's the hard part, trying to find that information online of what would be most beneficial,” Clay said. “That's part of why we collaborate as teachers, to see what tools are working for others. A lot of these tools are found through just talking with other teachers, other people in education, about what they're noticing that they need in their own class and finding other teachers or people at the school that have resources that fill those holes. That's the case in education in general, but particularly with multilingual students, just being able to collaborate with other teachers really helps to be able to meet those kids where they're at as best we can.” The second-grade teaching team at Ridge View Elementary created a collaborative Google classroom in order to share videos they find that teach basic reading and counting skills. “Then, when we're doing something on our Chromebooks that would be too difficult for [our multilingual students], we can tell them, ‘Go and watch these videos,’” second grade teacher Kristie Alexander said. Alexander, who speaks Spanish, said teachers have to determine which lessons and activities need to be adapted for multilingual students and then they have to create alternative activities and schedules for the various levels of language proficiency. “It is a lot of work and it's really hard because I want to be able to help all of them,” Alexander said. Alicia Rassmussen, an instructional coach, created a resource website for Ridge View Elementary teachers with links to teach-
Students who aren’t proficient in English use translating apps on Chromebooks and tablets to be able to keep up with their peers. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Clay)
ing ideas, bilingual lesson plans, and an overview of the culture and customs of various countries. “That has helped me a lot to better understand my students and really get to know them and connect with them,” Stowell said. Jordan District provides some district-wide tools for teachers of multilingual students, including two digital programs: Imagine Learning and Ellevation. Students use Imagine Learning for targeted lessons in reading, writing and speaking skills. Stowell said it is the tool she uses most to keep her multilingual students involved in the lesson as much as possible. While students read during independent reading time, Imagine Learning stories can be adapted to a multilingual students’ reading level. “I use Imagine Learning a lot for one of my students who has only come to the country in the last six months,” Clay said. “He is still learning basic vocabulary and reading skills in general, so he uses Imagine Learning most days during our reading instruction time.” Alexander said Imagine Learning provides alternative instruction when the lesson she is teaching doesn’t meet her multilingual students’ needs. She can customize activities and set up games based on students’ abilities, which she can monitor through the program. Ellevation is a program teachers use to track multilingual students’ progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking skills and to set their educational goals with suggested activities and specific techniques. Some schools, such as Herriman High and Joel P. Jensen Middle, have invested in their multilingual students by purchasing trans-
lation headphones. In the JROTC class at Herriman High, SFC (R) Konrad Wilson regularly uses the translating headphones and app with his students. “It's very effective because I can talk to the students and we can have a conversation back and forth,” Wilson said. Because JROTC is a demonstration-based class, it attracts many multilingual students, but Wilson said language is still a big part of the students’ experience. When teaching students military lingo, he provides a glossary with definitions in both English and Spanish. Going without translation is sometimes beneficial for the English-speaking students, he said, because when Spanish-speaking student leaders run a drill or recite the creed in Spanish, the English-speaking students get to experience how their peers feel when they don’t understand the language. “It helps everybody understand that frustration and brings everybody in on the same level field,” Wilson said. With the many tools available, there are still gaps in meeting multilingual students’ needs. Neither Google Translate nor the translation headphones app supports the African dialect of a JPJMS student who recently arrived in the country. The capabilities of AI are expanding at an accelerated rate and many teachers are excited to find and use new tools to meet the needs of their multilingual students. “I love to learn new things, always, so that I can support my students the best way possible,” Stowell said. l
Dec. 2023 | Page 7
Youngsters advocate for donations to put every child in a coat this winter By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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bout 1,000 kids may be warmer this holiday season, if some elementary kids have a say. Five-year-old Ember and 6-year-old Lucas heard the story, “The Coat” by Séverine Vidal, and wanted to do the same thing — only they are teaming up with friends to give on a grander scale. “It’s a story about a little girl who gave away the red coat she loved because there was a little girl who was cold and poor and didn’t have a coat,” Ember said. “It made her happy to give it away. She was being nice.” Her big brother added: “We made boxes and glued them together so people can donate coats. I don’t want anyone to be cold.” Coats and monetary donations are still needed for the youngsters and their friends to reach their goal. Coats can be donated through AAA Garage Door. The company’s drivers will pick up coats from donors who reach out by text at 801-792-6597. Drop-off donation sites are listed at the end of this article. Monetary contributions made to the Every Kid in a Coat’s Go Fund Me page, https://www.gofundme.com/f/every-kid-ina-coat-2023, and at the Venmo account @ Nicole-Hofer-4 will go toward purchasing new children’s coats. More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1033927014067936. Kat Naessens, Ember and Lucas’s mother, said donated coats can be new or gently used. Any hand-me-down coats are being washed and mended, if necessary, before being donated to a child. The grass roots coat drive came about from the youngsters, their friends and their parents. “I looked for books about kindness and checked it out from the (county) library,” Naessens said. “We always do things so our kids understand they have a lot of blessings in their lives. After reading the book, we decided a coat drive would be something simple for them to understand the act of kindness and giving and it would have a big impact on those who need coats.” While her children attend Providence Hall, which is not a Jordan School District school, Naessens learned Jordan Education Foundation serves many of the schools in the area and has a way to distribute the coats to those who need them the most. When she asked how many coats were needed, she was told 1,000. “To be honest, I thought we’d just do a coat drive in our community and turn everything over to someone who was doing a bigger fundraiser, but there wasn’t someone. That’s when we decided it would be us. It’s really shocking, actually, to learn how many kids are living in food scarcity,
Page 8 | Dec. 2023
Local families sort coats that were donated for “Every Kid in a Coat” drive; the coats will be distributed to Jordan School District students. (Photo courtesy of Jason Watson)
Coat donation drop-off locations: Herriman: 6022 W. Champlain Way Herriman: Tiffany’s Dance Co., 6361 W. 13400 South Daybreak: 11843 S. Logan’s Run Cove South Jordan: 3171 W. 9765 South Bluffdale: City Hall, 2222 W. 14400 South West Jordan: West Jordan county library, 8030 S. 1825 West and obviously, if the families in food scarcity don’t have the spare cash for food, then they won’t have it for other things like winter coats,” she said. Jordan Education Foundation Associate Director Anne Gould said that about 2,100 students in Jordan School District are considered homeless. “There’s definitely a higher need than ever before,” she said. Jordan Education Foundation regularly distributes donated food, hygiene and school supplies and some clothing to students who are identified as being in need by teachers, counselors, principals and other professionals in the school. “Usually, we receive a donation from someone somewhere in the universe and
it’s miraculous how then we get a phone call that someone needs that exact item. We have an amazing, generous community,” Gould said. Approximately 40 percent of the District’s school children are refugees; a great many of them reside in the Herriman community. Beds and bedding supplies that have been donated are often given to those who have none, Gould said. For Naessens and her children, this coat drive is being held in addition to their school’s food drive. “I always grew up being aware of people with higher needs than ourselves and how we’d help other people,” she said. “I’m hoping my own kids see through their eyes that people aren’t as blessed as we are. We live in a very affluent part of the world.” Naessens grew up in Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya. “As you can imagine, there’s an incredible amount of poverty in Nairobi. My primary school was next to a shanty town. So, from a very young age, we knew that there were people living in poverty and everybody would be involved with helping. We’d visit orphanages or homes for disabled kids and do fundraisers for them. That culture is what I want to make sure my kids know. Living in wonderful Utah is a bit more insulated to that. There is need here, but you don’t see it in the same way.”
Through the coat drive, Naessens has seen people’s generosity. “It’s inspiring to see when people give, and some people have donated massive donations. It’s lovely when people send that positive message; it’s seeing kindness in action, and spreading it,” she said. “AAA garage doors has given us a lot of help. They made and paid for our fliers, they’re picking up donations and they gave us a big donation because they feel strongly about kids and wanting to make sure that they’re well stocked and supplied.” She’s also grateful for Mountain Ridge High School’s service club students who helped distribute fliers. “It’s inspiring to see our community come together to help our kids,” she said. Gould said that the family itself is an inspiration. “Kat is one of the many examples of a caring community member who sees a need and wants to help out,” she said, adding that it’s great that children are involved in every step of the drive as well. “The Jordan Education Foundation is the receiving house for these donations. We work with the schools directly and with people who know the needs of the students so we can make sure that those items get out to those students who need them the most.” l
West Jordan City Journal
West Jordan’s Tangee Sloan named Recorder of the Year By Travis Barton | travis.b@thecityjournals.com
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ears winked out multiple eyes as West Jordan City recognized City Recorder Tangee Sloan for being named 2023 Recorder of the Year by the Utah Municipal Clerk Association. City officials commemorated its city recorder at a council meeting in October for not just the award, but Sloan’s overall influence on the city’s government. She was described as “pretty much everyone’s favorite,” “smart,” and “positive” along with many other superlatives by both councilmembers and city staff. Chief Administrative Officer Korban Lee nominated her in an almost three page submission, waxing lyrical about the job Sloan has done since being named city recorder in 2020. “Tangee is a critical part of the team at West Jordan and an invaluable public servant,” Lee wrote. Lee identified how Sloan also oversees the customer service office and its seven employees and is the chief elections officer supervising council redistricting, candidacies and financial disclosures. Councilmember Pamela Bloom remembered Sloan’s influence as she nervously filed to run for office. “I remember the joy you have when people come in to file as a candidate,” Bloom said as emotion bubbled to the surface. “Thank you for everything you do.” Sloan spearheaded the opening of a passport office which has brought in $250,000 in revenue dealing with over 6,000 applicants per year. Administrative Services Director Danyce Steck noted Sloan’s work has probably saved a few property tax increases. Sloan, a Spanish speaker, started working for West Jordan almost 26 years ago, initially in the IT division before moving to deputy city clerk and then city recorder. “Tangee’s breadth of knowledge about the community, the organization has been an asset as she oversees every type of call that comes into the organization,” Lee wrote.
In 2020 when Sloan took over the recorder role, it was shortly before the city changed its form of government which meant a reshaping of responsibilities and job functions, figuring out who does what. “Tangee had to have many difficult conversations about scope of work and effective outcomes,” Lee wrote. “She always remained professional, focusing more on what is best for the city rather than what responsibilities remained within her authority.” That transition period saw Sloan endure frequent turnover, working with what Steck estimated to be five different directors over her department. “She’s rolled with the punches with a positive attitude every day,” she said. Officials pointed toward an improved customer experience amid her mentorship of the customer service team as further evidence of her citywide influence. Doing so all while West Jordan City Hall is remodeled, Lee wrote, forcing Sloan and her team to relocate the passport application center three times and also work during construction periods where her team operated without heat for several weeks. The can-do attitude continued in recent months when Sloan voluntarily offered to
help public works with its process of receiving and tracking dumpster reservations, a task dreaded by public works officials. “She noticed a need in public works, saw a solution that would help the overall community and suggested she and her staff take on an added challenge with no additional recognition or resources,” Lee wrote. Then-councilmember Melissa Worthen, who recently moved to Colorado, wished to take Sloan with her, noting she’s “super smart and can figure anything out.” Worthen also pointed out that council meetings rarely see much attendance unless people are angry about something, but on the night Sloan was recognized the place was packed. “I’m going to miss you,” she said. Officials said her influence reaches beyond West Jordan as she assists recorders in other cities. Councilmember Chris McConnehey said the recorder position is one of the most important in the city and involves so many touch points with city staff, elected officials and residents. “Thrilled that the state of Utah has recognized how valuable she is not only to our community but to other recorders throughout the state,” he said. Sloan was quick to thank her family,
Tangee Sloan was named 2023 Recorder of the Year by the Utah Municipal Clerk Association. (West Jordan City)
administration and council. Even getting choked up when thanking Steck, Lee and Mayor Dirk Burton. Most importantly, she said, it was her staff she needed to thank. “I have a wonderful staff…I couldn’t accomplish any of this without them.” l
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Continued from front page said. She was glad that Christensen was bringing the story to students’ attention. “You hear in the news about all these things in the South, about them wanting to remove any Black history and remove any mention of these kinds of stuff, and I’m very glad that in this relatively conservative state, that we're still teaching about this stuff,” Ah Sue said. Many parents used the event as a teaching opportunity. Julie Hopkin had her second and fourth graders research Ruby Bridges the night before to help them understand the reason for the walk. Colette Parry used the story of Ruby Bridges as an opportunity to talk to her kindergartener and second grader about how they treat others. “I approached it with my kids more just being inclusive, that we need to include everyone, and it doesn't matter what they look like, what they sound like, we're all different and we need to be nice to everyone,” she said. Some Falcon Ridge Elementary teachers had a classroom discussion about Ruby Bridges and her experience. “The kids were astonished that no one would come to school with her,” third grade teacher Joy Edman said. “They thought she had a good mindset about being there alone and respected her for pray-
A mass of students, parents and teachers participate in a Ruby Bridges commemorative walk on the morning of Nov. 14. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)
ing about the people who were yelling at her. We had a rich discussion about emotions and how we can affect other people.” There had been a small commemo-
ration of Ruby Bridges a few years ago at Falcon Ridge but Christensen expanded the event this year with the support of community partner AAA, which provided
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A story of school bullying: The pain, the frustration, the solution By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com
A
ccording to the 2021 national statistics on stopbullying.gov, 15% of high school students said they had been bullied at school in the past year. A 2020 report by the Cyberbullying Research Center in partnership with Cartoon Network showed that bullying is an even bigger problem among tweens. Half of the 9-12 year olds they surveyed said they had been the victim of school bullying, and 65% said they had witnessed bullying at their school. Anecia Carstensen was bullied during the fifth grade and the problem continued into middle school. The bullying she endured caused mental health problems, a change in personality and negatively impacted her education. “I was missing a lot of school and my grades were bad,” Anecia said. Anecia’s parents, West Jordan residents Sarah and Shaun Carstensen, searched for solutions and finally made the decision to transfer their daughter, mid-year, to Career Academy of Utah, an online charter school. Things improved immediately for Anecia. She began to actively participate in class, make friends and earn better grades. “Since being in an online school, she has maintained either all A's or B's and is excelling,” Sarah said. “It's the best change
that we could have made for her.” Sarah said after years of pain and frustration, she is glad to see the improvement in her daughter’s overall happiness. “It was kind of scary having her in in-person school for a little while there, with the stuff that was going on,” Sarah said. “It's been a big, big change, and that, for me, is the biggest positive of it, just her mental health and the change that we've seen with that.” In her online classes, Anecia, now in eighth grade, has made friends and said the teachers are all nice and helpful. Amy Vance, academic administrator/ principal of Career Academy of Utah, said student safety is a top priority. “We address concerns with bullying in a timely manner and work with a positive behavior intervention system to allow students to change behaviors,” she said. “Some students have had experiences of bullying at previous schools and they are given support through our counselor.” Homeroom teachers also check in with students daily and teach Mindset lessons, which develop the social emotional skills students need to navigate life, said Vance. Anecia takes core subjects, an elective Spanish class and classes that are part of the
health science career pathway she has chosen. She enjoys the frequent field trips, like a recent visit to UVU for hands-on health science activities. Sarah said they explored other online school options before choosing CAU. “When we learned that they had the career pathways and things like that, we just decided that it was what was best, and we applied,” Sarah said. “It was easy. They sent us all the supplies that she needed—a printer and everything—and we were set up and ready to go.” Sarah enjoys the flexibility of online school—Anecia can keep up with schoolwork if she’s sick or on vacation—but mostly, she is just glad that her daughter is happy, safe and enjoying school again. “There was a lot of tears cried, a lot of figuring out what to do, and I'm just glad we finally found something that works,” Sarah said. Anecia and her family wanted to share their story in hopes of helping others who are experiencing a similar situation. “We just want people to know that there's other options,” Sarah said. "They don't have to stay and there's other things they can look into, especially if their mental health is struggling like hers was.” l
Eighth-grader Anecia Carstensen loves taking online classes at Career Academy of Utah. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Carstensen)
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West Jordan girls wrestling continues to grow in numbers, talent By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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n a relatively short time, the sport of girls wrestling has exploded. West Jordan High School is starting to catch the fire. The Jaguars might not have the most experienced team in the state, but the girls are excited to compete and get better every day. “It is very exciting to be able to have girls wrestle on their own,” head coach Matthew Lloyd said. “It is really cool to watch this sport grow so quickly with girls. Our team strength is our eagerness to learn. The girls are not afraid to try something new, which is super important, because they have to get out of their comfort zone and do hard things. It is awesome to see them push themselves so hard in practice and just go for it.” Most of the competitors on the Jaguars’ team are new to the sport. The most experienced wrestler is Riley Dallof, who previously wrestled Greco/freestyle outside of school. Lloyd said about half the wrestlers are in their first year. The Jaguars still have lower numbers than Lloyd would like. “I would love to see more girls come out and give it a try,” he said. “The more people on our team, the better we will get. Wrestling is an individual sport, but when you have lots of good practice partners, it helps you push yourself a little bit harder, and that is what helps you improve.” Dallof, a junior, has struggled with injuries
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her first two years. She’s starting to get healthy and is primed to complete her first full year of competition. Senior Tiana Robison, a captain, is a wrestler Lloyd thinks can make an impact in the state tournament. “[Robison] wrestled amazingly last year and looks to improve and be one of the best in the area,” he said. “She is a smart wrestler, tough and has the skill to go far in state, I believe.” Lloyd said many of the newcomers are showing promise and have tremendous potential. He pointed out the improvement of Harmouny Fatiau, Hailey Fox and Geneya Ferreira. Junior Arianna Strong is becoming a leader. Lloyd is impressed with her work ethic and unselfishness. “Besides being a skilled wrestler, the best on our team lead by example in practice,” he said. “They are typically the first on the mat and last to leave. They work hard every day and show grit when things get difficult. [Strong] is always encouraging her team to do well and leads through her hustle on the mat.” As the West Jordan program continues to grow, Lloyd is looking for progress and learning. He’s more concerned with how much work the girls put in and with their commitment than he is with results on the scoreboard. “My goals for the whole team are to always show improvement,” he said. “I want
West Jordan’s Tiana Robison, shown here winning a match, is one of the top performers on the West Jordan girls wrestling team. (Photo courtesy Matthew Lloyd)
each week to be better than the one before. My expectation is that these girls put in 110% effort. As long as they are giving it their all, I'll always be a proud coach. Wrestling is way more than just winning and losing; it's about learning how to face challenges. The lessons these girls learn on the mat they will take with them in every part of their lives. Instead of winning and losing, it is learning and improving.” The Jaguars get along well with each oth-
er. The wrestlers cheer for one another, celebrate their successes and support one another through the highs and lows. “West Jordan girls wrestling is a tight-knit group. Many of the team members refer to it like a family, because we will always have each other’s backs. It is a great opportunity for these kids to be a part of in their high school experience.” l
Dec. 2023 | Page 15
Props, costumes essential for ballet school’s Nutcracker
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The Nutcracker” is a traditional show for the holiday season, often performed by ballet company members. Rachel Ellis, director of En Pointe School of Ballet has her studio perform “The Nutcracker” every year during the holiday season and the performance of her Nutcracker has been performed twice, this year will be the third year Ellis sets her sights to making sure the audience understands the symbolisms of the ballet. “It’s important to me that each member of the audience has an enjoyable experience. I enjoy educating our audience and students regarding beloved ballet traditions,” Ellis said. En Pointe’s elegant ballet showcases the foods in the party scene and again in the sweets scene. There is always a narration at the beginning of each act. Ellis, who has operated a dance studio for 16 years, strives to have imaginative props for her show. It is important to her that the audience understands the ballet so she uses unique props to emphasize the story. Her vision includes taking out the color red in scenes like in the Russian dance, Chinese dance and Spanish dance with only the candy canes to be red. She decided to have the Spanish dance to look like hot chocolate, brown with white whip cream. For the lemon mirlitons she wanted candy shop colors for them to dance with a French chef. The Arabian coffee and Chinese green tea were served at the party and they make an appearance in Clara’s dream. “This year we are adding German Gingerbread cookies with pink and white frosting and our unique version also has cupcakes.” Ellis said. They have a gigantic Mother Ginger costume representing a Victorian-era Russian cookie tin that contained gingersnaps. “I had a vision in my mind of how I wanted her to look....Marie Antionette elegance in pastel pink and blue like cotton candy. My talented husband built the framework and our Costume Director Taunya Lofgran and a team of moms on our sewing committee brought her to life, larger than life, just as beautiful as I had imagined,” Ellis said. Mother Ginger’s skirt is 7 feet tall. The actress playing Mother Ginger stands on a platform high up in the air wearing her pink cotton candy wig. She is covered with satin ribbon bows created by Melena Walton, a member of the costume committee,. She enters the stage as a huge figure and little dancers called bonbons come from under her enormous skirt. The Uncle Drosselmeyer costume is Steampunk-inspired meant to reflect the industrial side of the Victorian age. Ellis felt like he was more of a tinkerer than a magician. He created these life-like animatronic dolls and Ellis felt like a steampunk image suited him best. Ellis and her team made a lot of the cos-
Page 16 | Dec. 2023
By Linda Steele | l.steele@mycityjournals.com
Mother Ginger and the children in “The Nutcracker.” (Photo courtesy Tamra Hyde Expression Photography)
Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier in “The Nutcracker.” (Photo courtesy Tamra Hyde Expression Photography)
tumes from scratch. For the props and scenery Ellis looked up ideas on Pinterest for how to make the giant lollipops out of pole noodles. She bought pots and put spray foam in them and stuck them in the lollipop sticks as well as foam roses that looked like icing. PVC pipe, wrapped in duct tape, is used to make the straws for the ice cream sodas. The white flowers are foam flowers. Fluted Lamp Shades from the 70’s and 80’s were used for the cupcakes. Ellis’s husband put a piece of wood in the bottom so they would have a weight and close up the top of the lamp shade, sprayed it
with spray foam then stuck all the foam flowers on it. “That part was super fun to plan,” Ellis said. The macarons are made out of three donut shaped Styrofoam wreaths, covered the outside pink, and covered the inside white so they looked like frosting, then they were glued together. They began making the props in June. Parents, volunteers and Ellis’s daughters Natasha Ellis and Mariah Shaw helped Ellis in the prop creation.
Britain Soderquist was the props and scenery director who, along with volunteers, helped create the Nutcracker, a 15 foot growing tree, and the giant food props such as cupcakes, ice cream sodas, lollipops, macarons and a candy covered throne. Lofgran and Soderquist have moved on. “We would not have accomplished this great undertaking without them,” Ellis said. Walton sewed over 300 bows for various Nutcracker costumes and worked on Mother Ginger. Nikki Allen is the new costume director. There are a dozen other women on the
West Jordan City Journal
current costume committee. The Nutcracker and Rat King costumes are the studios own design and creation out of necessity. The traditional huge bobble head masks were too large for the leaps and turns choreography of the Rat King and the Nutcracker. The masks are easier for the dancers to perform in. En Pointe School of Ballet has boys and men’s classes, and four levels of partnering classes. They have fathers performing in the party scene as the dads. The boy’s classes are performing as soldiers and party boys, and the men’s classes perform as Russian dancers. The Rats, Rat King, Nutcracker, Nephew/Nutcracker Prince and the other principal partnering roles throughout the Land of Sweets are at the professional level of choreography. “I took my vision of the way I wanted it to look. We designed it from the ground up. The dancers auditioned for parts at the end of June, then we started choreography. We spent all summer finishing up scenery, props and choreography right up to performance time,” she said. “I feel like we had miracles happen, because I still don’t know how we accomplished all that in five months A lot of people work together to make it happen. It all came together, this will be our third performance, and it keeps getting better every year.” “The creation of our extravagant costumes, props and scenery has been an intense and time-consuming labor of love that took an army of volunteers to create in only five
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Spanish Hot Chocolate with one ballerina in “The Nutcracker.” (Photo courtesy Tamra Hyde Expression Photography)
months in the fall of 2021,” Ellis said. “This Nutcracker is traditional and elegant with extra creative details that make it uniquely our own,” Ellis said. En Pointe Ballet presents The Nutcracker in four performances at Eastmont Middle School (10100 S. 1300 East) in Sandy, Utah.
* Nov. 30, 6 p.m. * Dec. 1, 6 p.m. * Dec. 2, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $13-$15 and can be purchased at 28120.danceticketing.com. Go to enpointballaet.net to get information on “The Nutcracker” and the studio. l
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Copper Hills ready to face challenging schedule as new season begins By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
A
year after placing second in Region 3, the Copper Hills boys basketball team will need to be at its best this season. The Grizzlies play in a tough league and only bring back one returning starter from last season. They are also now in Region 2, which comprises most of the same teams as a year ago. However, state power Corner Canyon is now a region opponent for Copper Hills, and struggling West Jordan has gone to Class 5A. Last season, the Grizzles had some struggles in non-region play but went 7-3 in region action, finishing a game behind Riverton for the league title. After blasting West Jordan 67-24 in the first round of the 6A playoffs, Copper Hills fell to Fremont in round two. That group of players is largely gone, with plenty of new faces hoping to make an impact on the team. Isaiah Reiser, a sophomore guard, came off the bench last season as a freshman and averaged 9.7 points per game. He also dished out 2.6 assists and made 28 three-pointers. The sky’s the limit for the young player, and his role should be even larger this year. Another contributor back from last year’s squad is junior guard Boston Lambourne. He hit 10 three pointers and had 21 rebounds in 2022–23.
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A lot of production is gone from last season. The Grizzlies must find a way to replace heir second-leading scorer from a year ago, Kyson Hymas. Other departed seniors left a void that Copper Hills’ players will have to fill. Copper Hills opened at Davis on Nov. 20, a good test against a solid team from Region 1. Copper Hills will participate in the Skyridge Tournament Dec. 8 and 9 as well as the KSA Tournament Dec. 14–16. The first region game is Jan. 12 at home against Bingham. l
Isaiah Reiser, a sophomore guard, came off the bench last season as a freshman and averaged 9.7 points per game. (Photo courtesy Dave Reeder)
Dec. 2023 | Page 19
Navigating Grief and the Holidays By Kathie Supiano, PhD, LCSW The holiday season is nearly upon us. This is the time of year when grieving people often feel dread and sorrow about the very events and traditions that formerly brought happiness. As every grieving person handles loss in their own way, each one of us observes holidays in our own way in time of bereavement. There simply is no one right way to experience the holidays. Some find meaning in following cherished traditions, and others benefit from avoiding traditions because their associations are now tinged with loss. Some people find great comfort in being with other people, others prefer solitude to camaraderie. For all of us, how we gather is as important as gathering at all.
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Safe Symposium held in West Jordan aimed to help prevent child sexual abuse By Linda Steele | l.steele@mycityjournals.com
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symposium to bring awareness and solutions to child sexual abuse was held in West Jordan in late October. John Miller, CEO of JR Miller Enterprises, was a keynote speaker at the Safe Symposium. He said when sexual abuse happens it may happen to the person, but it ripples out and can hurt family members. “This is an unspoken epidemic. It is truly an epidemic, and we are the ones who can step up and make a difference and change people’s lives,” Miller said. The symposium was hosted by Saprea, Malouf Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse in Utah with Policy Project also in attendance. This was the first time the four biggest players in Utah brought themselves and their networks together. There were also lawmakers, lobbyists and community advocates in attendance. The symposium aimed to bring public attention and find real solutions as the groups brainstormed ideas and shared insights about how to engage lawmakers and the community. About 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States experience child sexual abuse according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Nichole Coombs, director of video production with Saprea—a nonprofit fighting child sexual abuse—told the City Journals she hopes women can find hope instead of frustration and start their healing journey. She emphasized that Saprea offers 100% free retreats. The goal at Saprea is to empower survivors and take control of their healing and learn how the trauma they went through affects their body and brain. They can learn how to cope with all of the hard things they are experiencing and live better lives through the healing process. Saprea’s goal is to help anyone who
has been abused as a child, anyone who is currently experiencing abuse, or anyone who is at risk for being abused. “We want to stop child sexual abuse, because it is impacting millions of people around the world, it impacts them more than just physically, it affects them throughout the rest of their lives,” said Sarah Jensen, Saprea communication strategist. “There are statistics that show people who have been sexually abused are more likely to drop out of school, more likely to die by suicide, or they struggle financially. If we can address this fundamental piece of safety for children it will help them to grow and develop, they will be able to help protect other kids, help themselves, and help other families. It is a ripple effect.” Saprea has the End of Year Fundraising. People who want to give at the end of the year to help support Saprea with its mission to help those who are victims or have been victimes of child sexual abuse. Chris Yadon is the managing director of Saprea. “There is movement that is happening right now and the movement is significant,” he said. “Something we have never seen before in our state on this issue. We are finally accepting the reality of this issue, and we are acknowledging this issue and we have to work on it collectively.” “When we work on this together, we can do things far greater that the sum of the individual things you might do separately,” said Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson. Saprea officials said the nonprofit help women from all over the world with no cost other than the capacity to get there, even being willing to pick them up from the airport if needed. Women who have attended the retreat
John Miller was the keynote speaker at the Safe Symposium in West Jordan aimed at creating solutions with child sexual abuse. (Photo courtesy Saprea)
Lt. Gov. Deidre Hendersen spoke at the Safe Symposium in West Jordan aimed at creating solutions with child sexual abuse. (Photo courtesy Saprea)
A participant speaks at the Safe Symposium in West Jordan aimed at creating solutions with child sexual abuse. (Photo courtesy Saprea)
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have had a a 40% plus increase of life satisfaction and their PTSD symptoms have decreased by almost 40% according to Saprea officials.
For information about Saprea and the free retreats go to saprea.org. l
Dec. 2023 | Page 21
West Jordan volleyball team celebrates successful year, wins region By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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ith the exception of one game, no one in region play could take down the West Jordan volleyball team this season. The Jaguars wrapped up the 2023 campaign by sharing the Region 4 title with Hunter, with both teams going 9-1 in league action. Playing all five region opponents twice, West Jordan and Hunter went 1-1 against each other. West Jordan beat Hunter 3-2 on Sept. 14 and then lost to the Wolverines on the road 3-1 on Oct. 3. “We had an amazing 2023–2024 season this year,” head coach Owen Sosi said. “We made it a goal from the beginning of the season to work hard toward that region title, and we came out on top, sharing that co-region title.” Overall, the Jaguars went 18-6 this season. It was quite an improvement from the 2022 season when West Jordan was 8-11 overall and 1-8 in league play, finishing in last place. Moving to Class 5A and Region 4 certainly helped the team, but improvement on the floor was evident. Sosi said the team started to focus on the little things this season, which helped in all aspects of the game. “Fundamentals, statistics and teamwork is what I believe helped us in our title for region—getting back to the basics and really capitalizing on what our strengths were,” he said. “We were the best serving team in the region, which is something that we were able to stay consistent throughout the entire season. Numbers and stats played a big role in our success as well, as we had the majority of our starting lineup that ranked in the top 10 for all five stat categories—hitting, kills, assists, digs and blocks. We won together as a team and also lost together as a
The West Jordan volleyball team captured the Region 4 title this season with a 9-1 record. (Photo courtesy Owen Sosi)
team. After every loss, we looked at it as an opportunity to better what we could on our side of the net.” Several players contributed to the team’s region title and success throughout the season. Senior libero Clara Pauni, a team captain, had a strong year. She led the region with 265 digs this season and, as Sosi said, “is a force to be reckoned with.” He also said she is a fierce player and has all the characteristics you would want in a libero. Senior setter Emmalee Scott was the other team captain. She was second in Region 4 with 405 assists. “[Scott] leaves it all on the floor,”
Sosi said. “She motivates her teammates to work hard and be better, and she also shows through her actions and stats of why she should be on the court. She wants everyone to succeed and always puts her teammates before herself.” Sophomores Atyana Crosby and Sueliana Hall may be young, but they were not intimated. Sosi said both have bright futures ahead of them. Crosby, a middle blocker, had a hitting percentage of .288, which was second in Region 4. She was also third in blocks with 52 and ninth in kills with 88. Hall, an outside hitter and right-side hitter is what Sosi calls “a hungry player.” She was
fifth in the region with a hitting percentage of .225 and fifth in kills with 105. She also ranked ninth in assists, 10th in digs and 11th in blocks in Region 4 this past season. Senior outside hitters Lola Rivera and Jovi Farmer brought leadership, experience and a lot of skill and effort to the floor every day. Rivera had a great all-around season for the Jaguars. She led the region with 152 kills, and her 46 aces were good enough for second. She also had 137 digs, which was fourth best in the region. Farmer was second in kills with 150, third in aces with 44 and seventh in digs with 105. “[Rivera] plays the position that is needed for the team, whether it’s her first choice or not,” Sosi said. “She is a team player, and it shows on and off the court. [Farmer] has had a tremendous season putting up numbers and statistics.” The Jaguars were seeded sixth and had a first-round bye at the state tournament but then fell in the second round to Northridge 3-0 on Nov. 2. Still, Sosi enjoyed the season and appreciates everything the girls gave. “I will remember this group of girls, especially my seven seniors,” he said. “With the exception of one, I have been coaching them all since their freshman year. They each have brought something memorable to this team and have contributed more than asked. I am thankful my first year as head coach was with the ones I started this journey with, and I am excited to see what the future holds for each of them. I am also excited for the girls upcoming in the program, and it’s only up from here for the Lady Jags.” l
New season underway for Copper Hills swim team By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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he longest and arguably most grueling high school sport has begun, as Copper Hills swimmers have hit the water. Workouts for the swim team begin at the start of October, and the season doesn’t end until mid-February. The Copper Hills swim team, like all other swim teams around the state, must be committed and focused to be successful. It’s a challenge but one the Grizzlies welcome and intend to conquer. “Especially once we get into the doldrums of December and January, it can be difficult to maintain the same level of focus and determination that we had at the beginning of the year,” Copper Hills assistant coach Winston Hilton said. “To overcome that challenge, we try to have open dialogue with swimmers about how they're feeling, what they'd like to get out of practice each day and how we can help them have fun as they work hard.” Copper Hills wants to do its best and win region and compete well at state. However, Hilton, the other coaches and the swimmers know that wins and losses aren’t the only indicators of success. “We'd love to end the season with region and state trophies, but that doesn't determine a successful season for us,”
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Hilton said. “We want to see improvement from each swimmer, and we want them to have fun as they do it. A successful season ends with the whole team being happy with the effort they put in and being proud of what they accomplished. To achieve the team goals, we're relying on our captains (Hayley Bachman, Holden Davis, Parker Hatch and Courtney Reading) to set an example and encourage people to work hard and cheer at practices and meets.” Hilton and the coaching staff expect the swimmers to work hard, be consistent, stay positive and compete for the top spot in Region 2. At the beginning of the season, the coaches talked to the swimmers about what team goals the Grizzlies should have. The team members decided to focus on things they could control. “They decided that their two goals for the season are for nobody to sit out at practice—if the workout is difficult, people will modify as necessary but not give up—and we are our own biggest supporters,” he said. “Every swimmer has people cheering for them during every race.” Copper Hills has several swimmers to keep an eye on this season. Hilton pointed out Bachman, Reading, Davis and Hatch
in addition to a handful of other key team members. He is excited to watch senior Cambrie Backcock (who swims the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly), junior Natalie Jensen (200 freestyle and 500 freestyle), junior Kelti Olson (200 freestyle and 100 butterfly), sophomore Katie Larocco (200 IM and 100 butterfly), junior Parker Farschou (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle), senior Tim Leano (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle) and sophomore Chase Atherley (200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke). Bachman and Reading, both seniors, each swim the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. Davis and Hatch are also seniors. Davis swims the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Hatch’s events are the 100 freestyle and 500 freestyle. “These swimmers are so important to the team for many reasons, but the biggest is their work ethic,” Hilton said. “These guys enjoy swimming, care about the team and work hard to improve every single day. We rely on them to set the tone for the rest of the team.” Hilton said the boys team is filled with strong sprinters, and the girls team’s strength is in the middle-distance events. With this good mix, he believes the team has plenty of potential and should be a contender in Region 2. l
West Jordan City Journal
West Jordan swim team looking for progress, continued improvement By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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ith a host of challenges in its way that many teams don’t face, the West Jordan swim team is doing its best to focus on having a successful season. The Jaguars have a lot of team members who have little swimming experience, not to mention the inconvenience of not having a home pool to use for meets and practice. Still, the team is maintaining a positive outlook. The team’s unity and strong bond help get them through difficult times. “Every year, the swim team builds such strong bonds with each other,” head coach Sara Mitchell said. “They are among the most closeknit, supportive and happy teams at West Jordan. I think the athletes' willingness to branch out and try new events keeps them fresh and motivated. They set big goals. They are ambassadors for their sport, and many of them are passionately dedicated.” Because so many swimmers on the West Jordan team are new to the sport, Mitchell expects to see significant improvement throughout the season. She anticipates that a large portion of the swimmers will have big drops in their race times and much better technique as the year progresses. West Jordan has sent swimmers to state the past two years, and Mitchell hopes to make it three years in a row this coming February at the state meet. The team has set a goal to get a relay team to state, too. As if it’s not hard enough to compete when many foes have more swimmers with years of experience, the Jaguars don’t even have a home. West Jordan High School, like other schools in the Jordan District, doesn’t have a swimming pool. The Jaguars have practiced in the past at the Gene Fullmer Rec Center. However, the facility is shutting down for two months for maintenance, so the Jaguars have had to relocate and swim at different times of the day. Fortunately, they have found temporary refuge at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center where they will practice this winter. The change hasn’t been easy, but Mitchell and the swimmers are trying to take everything in stride. “The distance and change in times is a challenge for some students with transportation and schedule conflicts,” Mitchell said. “I think the key for working through both of those issues will be commitment and discipline and a healthy dose of patience and humor. They are already very committed and dedicated people. Many of them are involved in multiple extra-curriculars, hold part-time jobs and are excellent students. So, applying that commitment to swimming, plus having patience with the challenges, because there's always going to be some obstacles in sport and in life.” Senior 100-butterly swimmer Danny Oliver, junior Yeshoua Negrete (200 individual medley), junior Jaycee Garcia (50 freestyle), sophomore Luke Mitchell (100 backstroke)
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and junior Diego Munoz (50 freestyle) are among the standouts on the West Jordan team. “We have leaders in every grade level and a pretty diverse group of swimmers,” Mitchell said. “We strive to have a very well-rounded team. We don't have the numbers to have our athletes specialize in just two events, so they all have to step up across multiple strokes and distances.” Mitchell specifically highlighted her top swimmers and their abilities in the pool. “Danny, Yeshoua and Jaycee were voted team captains this year, and I think the whole team looks up to them—not only for their success in the water but for their enthusiasm for the whole team, the way they encourage those around them,” she said. “Luke Mitchell is a well-rounded swimmer who is putting in double practices to build the strength and endurance for any event he's asked to swim. Diego Munoz is so focused that he has already seen exceptional improvements in his times in the shorter freestyle events and is trying to branch out into other strokes this year. Like I mentioned, all of my returning swimmers made the commitment to come back, and they always try to bring a friend. Their recruitment is a big part of our team's success each year.” The Jaguars might not bring home a Class 5A title this season, but Mitchell has helped to work wonders with the program. When she began her tenure as coach, fewer than 10 swimmers were on the squad, and a succession of coaches had come through every year or two. The team was on the brink of shutting down, which was a sad note considering the boys team had won a state title as recently as 2008. Now, Mitchell is hoping to continue the growth the program has seen recently. She would love to see the girls team add numbers to its squad, too. “I'm really grateful for the support we have from the high school administration (Principal Mike Hutchings, Athletic Director Carlson Boudreaux),” she said. “I believe we've exceeded their expectations with the growth and success of our team and that swim is on the school's radar more than it was previ-
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Despite facing some odds, the West Jordan swim team continues to work hard and show improvement. (Photo courtesy Sara Mitchell)
ously. My ultimate goal is to restore the team to its former glory and then keep up the momentum. I would love to see more girls join the sport, because with a balanced girls and boys
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Dec. 2023 | Page 23
As new season starts, Copper Hills girls basketball has high hopes By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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he Copper Hills girls basketball team is in a new region this year, but the Grizzlies’ goals are the same: compete in region and state. The Grizzlies move from Region 3 to Region 2, though most of the opponents are the same. Mountain Ridge, Herriman, Riverton and Bingham have joined the Grizzlies in Region 2. Corner Canyon is also in the region with Copper Hills, while West Jordan has relocated to Class 5A’s Region 4. Last season, Copper Hills was 17-7 overall and 7-3 in league play, finishing in third place. The Grizzlies lost in the second round of the Class 6A state tournament. With the 2023–24 season tipping off, head coach Jake Timpson’s expectations are simple but lofty. “We expect to compete with some of the best teams in the state,” he said. “Our goals are to win a region championship and make it far in state playoffs.” Capturing the Region 2 crown won’t be easy. The competition should be fierce every game. “We have a really tough schedule,” Timpson said. “We play some really talented teams. This group will have to learn to handle adversity and keep on fighting even when things aren't going our way.”
The Grizzlies opened the season Nov. 16 at Skyline. Copper Hills also hosted American Fork on Nov. 20. Other non-region teams on the schedule include Westlake (Nov. 28), Layton (Nov. 30) and Skyridge (Dec. 5). On Dec. 19–22. Copper Hills will take part in the California Tournament where they will face some talented out-of-state foes. On Jan. 5, the Grizzlies host Fremont, a perennial state power. Region play begins Jan. 11 when the Grizzlies play at Bingham. Copper Hills will rely heavily on its defense, a side of the ball where Timpson believes the team will excel. He also said the Grizzlies need to get better with rebounding and become a little tougher. A host of seniors will lead the Grizzlies this season. Ellie Taylor, Ayla Marston and Skylie Barker are three of the top players on the roster. Taylor, a senior who has already signed to play at Utah Tech next season, led the team in scoring last season with 16.1 points per game. She also pulled down 3.8 rebounds a contest and hit 45 three-pointers. Barker, a junior, was second on the team in scoring a season ago with 11.8 points per game. She also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists an outing. Marston, also a junior, scored at a clip of 5.5 points per contest in 2022–23 and led the team with 5.1 rebounds
Ellie Taylor, a senior who has already signed to play at Utah Tech next season, led the team in scoring last season with 16.1 points per game. (File photo City Journals)
per game. “[Taylor] is one of the best players in the state both offensively and defensively,” Timpson said. “[Barker] is one of the most unselfish players in the state. She can defend, she can score, she can rebound. [Marston] is looking to have a breakout year. She’s a hard-working girl that has put in a lot of time on her game this offseason. The seniors are
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A Labor of Love in Salt Lake County By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
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t’s been 50 years since a group of parents got together to create a program where adults with disabilities could live in a traditional setting and experience being part of a community. Project TURN is now TURN Community Services and its mission is to turn dreams into reality. Two-time Best of State winner, TURN offers day programs, residential living, summer camps, supported employment and art programs to participants from 11 to 80 years old. It also provides Christmas gifts to 200 people with disabilities through its Labor of Love project. “We provide Christmas for people with disabilities and we open that up to the community,” said Alyssa DeHart, TURN director of development and communication. “People are able to submit names and profiles of people who would like help…It’s entirely funded by donations and volunteers who shop, wrap and then deliver the presents as well.” The Labor of Love project has been going on for at least 30 years, helping hundreds of people with disabilities enjoy a fun holiday. Volunteers in the community deliver gifts to each one of the TURN offices in the state, from Ogden to St. George. The gifts are then distributed to some of Utah’s most vulnerable residents. “We have volunteers that come year after year, some have participated for more than 20 years, and they bring more friends and extended family members each year because they find it so rewarding to help these people who often have no family members left to help with their basic needs and holiday celebrations,” said Cynthia Proctor, Labor of Love director. “They know they are extending critical help to this overlooked and underserved part of the community whose
needs are very real, extensive, and still often invisible.” For information about volunteering with the Labor of Love project, contact DeHart at alyssadehart@turncommunityservices.org. The drop-off location in Salt Lake County is at 423 W. 800 South. Along with the Labor of Love project, TURN provides support for individuals with disabilities by providing individualized care in a residential setting. Support includes health care, socialization, financial management, transportation, leisure activities and community events. TURN’s art centers help people express themselves through the power of creativity with art classes, dance lessons and music education. The classes offer a chance for participants to build skills, explore the world, enhance self-expression and tap into their own artistic talents. Several artists in the program have submitted art for various fairs and contests. A popular program at the nonprofit is employment services which helps individuals with disabilities, ages 14 and up, to find work in their community. Counselors take time to meet with each person to determine their skills, interests and abilities and then help them find a job that matches their preferences, allowing them to develop independence. “Our mission statement is turning dreams into reality and that helps us focus and maintain our ideals of serving people,” DeHart said. “Sometimes we focus on sustaining life but enhancing life is really what we want to do. We want each individual to be able to have dignity and hopes and dreams and discover new abilities.” l
TURN Community Services volunteers shop, wrap and deliver Christmas gifts to more than 200 people with disabilities throughout the state. (Photo courtesy of TURN)
Food pantries face high demand and low inventory By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com
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he number of children living in poverty in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past year and a half, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It issued a release in September saying 12.4% of youth under 18 are living below the poverty line. That’s up from 5.2% in 2021 and totals over 9 million children. Inflation overall, added to the expiration of the Child Tax Credit program that Congress instituted during the pandemic, has added to the economic challenges families are facing, including here along the Wasatch Front. It’s estimated that in Utah, one of every 11 residents will go to bed hungry tonight. So many are turning to local food pantries for help—and that’s a problem. Food pantries are seeing lower inventories and fewer donations. With the holidays approaching, pantry leaders are alarmed. “Our needs are extreme,” said Rebekah Anderson, executive director of the Bountiful Community Food Pantry. “Every single day, we have at least one new family come in who we haven’t served before. Two weeks ago, we served over 100 families in one day—the most in a single day since I’ve been here.” She said most of the pantry’s clients are not destitute—many come from families
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where both parents are employed or have second jobs. “Every day Davis County residents are finding their paychecks aren’t going as far as in the past,” she said. “They still need help to feed their families.” At the Open Doors pantry in Layton, executive director Jason Wilde tells a similar story. “For the first nine months of this year, we’ve seen a 40% increase in the numbers of families we’ve served,” he said. “At least half of those are families that have never come into the pantry before. At the same time, our donations have dropped by about 10%. So there’s a great inequity between needs and our ability to meet them.” The Murray Children’s Pantry serves clients from throughout Salt Lake County. Jim Brass, president of the pantry board, says donations have dwindled throughout the summer, as they traditionally do, and he’s hopeful the upcoming holidays will put “people in a more giving mood.” As with Bountiful and Layton, clients have increased in numbers the past few months. “We’re hearing the biggest challenge is rent—the costs of housing,” he said. “We’ve seen our client base grow by 30% to 40% some weeks. We have put together what we
call family boxes—enough to feed a family of four for a week—and demand for those has steadily grown. There are new families coming in for the first time every week.” Anderson said the Bountiful Pantry is blessed to have over 200 volunteers who help with food organization and distribution. She said one of those volunteers came back into work after being off for about a week and said “she couldn’t believe how empty our warehouse looked…in just a few days.” And she’s concerned that with November and December holidays just around the corner, when the demand usually doubles or triples, her inventory continues to drop. In Bountiful, Anderson’s crew is being extra careful with distribution. “We’re not rationing food, but we are taking steps to make sure we reduce waste,” she said. “We can extend the shelf life of canned vegetables, for example. The USDA provides a shelf life guide because many products are still good past their published expiration dates. That said, we still offer clients many healthy, fresh perishable food items as well. Our number one focus is always on our clients.” So how can the public help out pantries? One way is through food drives at schools or through churches or community groups. The
Farmington High National Honors Society is planning a food drive from Nov. 6-10 for the Bountiful Pantry. Anderson said she’ll provide either barrels or large wire containers to gather food. Bountiful also received a $5,000 donation from the Bridge Community Church in Centerville, which held a golf tournament as a fundraiser for the pantry. “We’re so grateful to both Farmington High and the Bridge Community Church for doing these,” Anderson said. “It helps take stress off of the pantry.” Bountiful Pantry’s annual Sub for Santa program—which can assign clients to be Santas for families in need of help—is taking registrations through Nov. 18. Low-income families are vetted, and last year more than 4,000 children received gifts. Brass said the Murray pantry is working for the third year with the Frank Cordova Foundation to provide Thanksgiving dinners for families. The foundation provides turkeys, and the pantry provides the rest of the fixings. Those wishing to make donations and help out should reach out to the pantries on their websites. Each director says the needs are continuing to grow every day. l
Dec. 2023 | Page 25
Change of venue a welcome one for close-knit West Jordan girls basketball team By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com
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he West Jordan girls basketball team has a new home this season, so to speak. After being a member of Class 6A since its inception in 2017, the Jaguars have moved to Class 5A where they participate in Region 4. Like other teams at West Jordan, the girls basketball team will face region foes Cyprus, Granger, Kearns, Taylorsville and Hunter. It’s a different look from last season’s group in Region 3 where the Jaguars were in the same league as Mountain Ridge, Herriman, Copper Hills, Riverton and Bingham. West Jordan was 9-15 last season and struggled in region games, losing all nine contests. Things should be a little less daunting in 2023–24. Head coach Lei Lolohea wants the team to work hard—not just on the court but outside of basketball altogether. “Our team goal this year is to compete— compete in the classroom and especially on the floor,” she said. “Everyone needs to be on the same page, and everyone needs to do their job and play their role.” Jelly Farmer is one of the top returning players for the Jaguars this season. The junior guard has been a starter since she was a freshman. Senior power forward Izzy Knight and guard Lexi Nelson are two other key fixtures on the team.
“[Farmer] brings to our team a strong offensive side but is also a great shot blocker and does well on defense because of her size and length,” Lolohea said. “[Knight] gives us a strong inside presence as a power forward. She is vocal, a leader and has been a great asset to our program. [Nelson] gives us an edge with her defense and speed. She is a natural leader, and her defense gives us a spark. The greatest thing these three young ladies bring to the team is that they are all 4.0 student-athletes, and they have been great leaders to our younger players.” They’re also great all-around athletes. Knight will play college softball at Southern Utah University, while Nelson is a future Division 1 soccer player, having committed to play at Utah Tech. Coming into this season, Lolohea sees a big team strength being the players’ genuine friendship with one another. She said the girls truly care about one another and help make each other better. “We are a family,” she said. “One player's weakness is another player's strength, and because of the coaching staff I have on board, they help see that and use it to our advantage. It says a lot about a team when they all buy into the culture and into the program; it builds unity within our program.” Lolohea wants the girls to play at a fast
pace. This method can be challenging, as it requires great fitness and stamina. She said the girls have been working hard to get in shape and be prepared for the season. The Jaguars host East to open the season Nov. 28. West Jordan has a big opportunity in late December when it will play in the Southern California Holiday Tournament Dec. 27–30. The Jaguars will then take two weeks off before jumping into Region 4 action Jan. 12 at Cyprus. Lolohea is looking forward to the season and seeing the girls improve. She has stressed building team culture and believes the players are starting to develop that. “These girls are fun to coach. From the varsity level, JV level and sophomore level,” she said. “They are fun to watch, fun to coach and fun to get to know and build relationships with. I love that this team has been a player-led team on and off the court. But it stems from our previous group of players and how they've bought into the culture, the program and the meaning of what it truly means to be a Lady Jag. Our Lady Jag pride runs deep, and because of that, we've been able to build a sisterhood.” This is Lolohea’s seventh season as head coach. She appreciates the support the team
gets from the school and community as well as from players she has previously coached. “I’ve loved every part of [being the coach],” she said. “Being a Lady Jag has been more than about the game of basketball. Being a Lady Jag has fostered into being a great student-athlete, teammate, family member and human being. I have never been able to truly give credit where credit is due, and I want to take that opportunity now to thank my assistant coaches who were the first to buy into this program. I thank them for never giving up on me and for always having my back. To my former and present players, I am grateful for the lessons that you have taught me, but I am very grateful for your leadership and belief that this program is worth trying out for. One thing that gets overlooked is how much community service our program is involved in and especially how much good light my girls shed at West Jordan High and West Jordan City. My girls deserve a lot more praise and thank yous, and I hope they all know how deserving they are of those.” l
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West Jordan’s Izzy Knight (in white with the ball) is one of the top players on the Jaguars’ squad this season. West Jordan has moved to Class 5A this season. (Photo courtesy Lei Lolohea)
West Jordan City Journal
The City Journals is recognized for its pay equity and women-friendly practices By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
T
he City Journals has been named as one of the 100 Companies Championing Women. The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, the Cox-Henderson Administration and the Utah Women & Leadership Project created the initiative in 2022, as part of the Inspire InUtah program, to recognize businesses that offer family-friendly policies and women-specific practices that advance women as managers and leaders. Listed in the 2024 cohort of 100 Companies Championing Women, The City Journals joins other organizations like Davis Technical College, Women of the World, Bennett Communications and Saprea. The City Journals publishes 18 community newspapers each month, along with the weekly Davis Journal. It also creates the Value Pages coupon magazine. “Women are imperative to our business at the Journals,” said Bryan Scott, City Journals owner and publisher. “Women make up the majority of our readership. Women make up the majority of our employees, particularly our writers. And if most homes are like mine, most of our shopping decisions are made by women, which makes it important to our advertisers.” State leaders believe when businesses unite in their mission to champion women, it creates a force that can reshape the corporate landscape, and change the lives of women as it paves the way for equality and empowerment. While Utah continues to rank as the worst state for women’s equality, the gover-
A
City Journals staff members include (from left) Brialee Nelson, Kayla Palmer, Elizabeth Sweat, Bryan Scott, Rachael Roberts and Mieka Sawatzki. They join Alderman Properties Managing Partner Trish Alderman (third from right), at the Chamber West Fall Conference. The City Journals was recently named as a 100 Companies Championing Women organization. (City Journals)
nor’s office and Inspire InUtah hopes to create a business community where women are supported, whether that’s through pay equity and childcare support, or professional development and leadership programs. Elizabeth Sweat, people leader at The City Journals, said the company has focused on women-friendly practices, including pay equity for all female employees. “We are transparent about our pay,” Sweat said. “We have the same pay for all of our beat writer contractors based on their length of service and we pay our commissioned sales reps the same, based on the
amount they sell. Women and men are paid the exact same for the exact position.” The City Journals also implements recruitment strategies, focused on increasing the number of women employees, with flexible work schedules that accommodate workfrom-home situations. “Some were hesitant to say they had school drop-off or such, but I let them know that we love working moms,” she said. “Prior to COVID, we had a program called Project Homemaker where we specifically targeted stay-at-home parents. They were appointment setters that worked approxi-
mately 12 hours a week based on their children’s school schedules. That is a program that we hope to bring back soon.” The Women’s Evolution group at The City Journals used to meet in person every month, but with so many remote workers, Sweat sends out a calendar of community and business events that women can choose to attend. The calendar also includes community resources geared toward women. Female employees are encouraged to find a Women in Business group based on their personal interests and schedules, although they are not required to attend because many have limited time for networking. The City Journals supports women in leadership positions. Currently, the sales manager is a woman, as is one of the three community newspaper editors. Full-time employees include nine women and seven men. “It became very evident to me a few years ago that the success of our company will be dependent on our ability to have women work for us,” Scott said. “Our journey started with our staff making sure we were building a company where women would be comfortable working. We still have a long road to go, but I think this award demonstrates the strides that we have made.” The 2024 cohort of 100 Companies Championing Women joins the inaugural 2023 group that includes organizations like Clearfield City, Cotopaxi, Goldman Sachs and the Women’s Leadership Institute. For more information, visit InUtah.org. l
SLCO highlights from 2023 - improved trails, mental health resources, and fiscal responsibility
s 2023 closes, I am thrilled to share some remarkable accomplishments that highlight the progress and success that Salt Lake County has experienced over the past year. From the pristine trails, the compassionate care for our furry friends, and an emphasis on mental health resources, Salt Lake County has truly shone in its commitment to excellence. One of the standout achievements is the recent inauguration of the Butterfield Canyon Trail at the Butterfield Trailhead Regional Park. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, Rio Tinto Kennecott, and the Bureau of Land Management, we cut the ribbon on this expansive trail on August 31, 2023. This trail, spanning 14 miles, showcases our dedication to outdoor recreation, and welcomes hikers, equestrians, trail runners, and mountain bikers alike. When it comes to animal welfare, we take immense pride in Animal Services
WestJordanJournal .com
Aimee Winder Newton
Salt Lake County Councilwoman| District 3
achieving a decade of no-kill status. We stand as the first capital area to reach this milestone, and one of the pioneers nationwide. Additionally, Animal Services has been recognized as the best in the state for the 15th time, showcasing our ongoing dedication to the well-being of our community's animals. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s Receiving Center bridge program is now open, thanks to funding from Salt Lake County. This expansion increases access
for mental health needs in our community, providing crucial support and resources for those who need it most. This location will provide service until the new mental health crisis center opens in 2025. Our Salt Lake County Library has gained national recognition from the National Association of Counties, honoring the outstanding services and resources it provides to our residents. This acknowledgment reinforces the importance of education, literacy, and community engagement. Let's not forget the heartwarming success of the Meals on Wheels program, delivering nourishment and companionship to those in need. By the end of the year Salt Lake County will have delivered more than 375,000 meals. This invaluable service supports all members of our community who may be vulnerable or isolated. Addressing the pressing issue of jail services, we acknowledge the need for expansion. As we grow and evolve, it is essen-
tial to ensure the safety and well-being of our community members. In terms of fiscal responsibility, Salt Lake County has balanced its budget while maintaining a AAA bond rating. This achievement reflects our commitment to sound financial management, ensuring stability and security for our community. Our convention centers, the Salt Palace Convention Center and the MACU Expo Center, have hosted a multitude of successful events, attracting visitors and revenue to our community. These venues continue to be vital components of our local economy and end up saving taxpayer dollars as we generate sales tax revenue from out-of-town guests. As we think about all these great things we've done, let's remember how strong and connected Salt Lake County is. We are lucky to live in this beautiful, vibrant place!
Dec. 2023 | Page 27
Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley—past, present and future By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com
J
im Bradley was first elected to the Salt Lake County Council as an at-large member (serving the entire county) in 2000. “Yeah, at this moment I’ve been on council for 23 years,” Bradley said with a laugh. “I’m the longest serving member now…and maybe ever.” As such, he’s seen sweeping changes across the valley and been a part of crafting those changes, as well. Past Bradley grew up in a family that was very aware of politics. His parents were educators, his mother taught at Roland Hall-St. Marks and his father retired from serving as the Dean of the College of Business at the University of Utah. But what really got Bradley interested in politics was his time as a young man “on the streets, protesting the Vietnam War.” He volunteered during the Frank Moss election in the late ’60s, and when Democrat Wayne Owens ran for congress, Bradley was the first volunteer to sign up. Eventually he received his degree in political science from the University of Utah in 1981. He’s served the state and county for most of his career, primarily through holding various public offices and jobs.
Each year the county appropriates money to purchase at auction 4-H raised livestock at the Salt Lake County Fair. The livestock is then donated to the Utah Food Bank. Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley loves being on the auction floor, interacting with the 4-H kids who are “the salt of the earth.” (Jim Bradley)
He worked with Drug and Alcohol Services. He wrote grant applications during the 1980’s energy crisis and eventually became the director of the Utah Energy Office. He bounced in and out of private consulting, eventually running for the Salt Lake County Council in the year 2000. It’s a position he’s held ever since. He’s also served on various boards, from the Utah Film Festival to the Hogle
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Page 28 | Dec. 2023
A longtime supporter of local arts, Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley visits with artists at the Annual Plein Air Fair in Salt Lake City. (Jim Bradley)
Zoo to the Repertory Dance Theater. He worked with the county to pass the Zoo, Arts & Parks legislation, which provides funding for the widely popular ZAP programs and facilities. He’s proud of many of the projects he’s worked on from the rebuilding of the Salt Palace in 1990, to sponsoring environmental initiatives to keep the foothills free from overdevelopment. But one of the things he’s most proud of was the renaming of Symphony Hall (a county owned property) to Abravanel Hall [in 1993] to honor Maurice Abravanel on his 90th birthday. “Abravanel helped establish why arts and culture are important in this community. And I’m happy I was able to help honor him while he was still alive,” Bradley said. Present Bradley enjoys serving at the county level because he feels that real “quality of life” issues are done on the local level. “We work on things that affect the daily lives of residents,” Bradley said. “The county services are underappreciated, only in that people don’t understand the many things the county provides.” Constituents don’t call or reach out as often as he’d like them to. “The county is very transparent in all dealings, but we don’t get a whole lot of feedback unless there is a hot button issue, like mask wearing during Covid.” One unusual project that Bradley currently enjoys working on is with the 4-H program. Each year the county appropri-
ates money to purchase at auction 4-H raised livestock at the Salt Lake County Fair. The livestock is then donated to the Utah Food Bank. Bradley loves being on the auction floor, interacting with the 4-H kids who he calls “the salt of the earth.” Though lately Bradley has become “a bit cynical about federal politics and the Utah State Legislature.” He says that the county council works in a “civil and appropriate way to make sure partisanship doesn’t get in the way of funding and county service obligations.” Bradley is one of four Democrats (out of nine elected councilmembers) serving on the county council. Future Bradley has decided not to run for the council again, once his term ends in 2024, saying, “There’s other, younger talent out there, and it’s time for me to retire.” He’ll miss it, but is looking forward to more time with his family and on hobbies, like fishing. He is married and has four adult children and three grandchildren. His predictions for the future? Bradley has been around to see the ebbs and flows of government, and nothing moves fast, but he believes Democrats will start winning more races. The county demographics have shifted and Salt Lake County is becoming more cosmopolitan, making way for diverse candidates. He is optimistic and still believes that local government is a “place where elected officials can make a difference if they’re willing to work hard.”l
West Jordan City Journal
Free services for youth a bright spot in tight budget year for Salt Lake County
A
t the end of October, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson presented the 2024 annual budget to the County Council and the public. Council will consider the proposed budget during a series of hearings, before voting on the final budget on Dec. 5. Salt Lake County has a proposed budget of nearly $2 billion dollars and details can be found in a 650 page PDF document available online. The short of it? It’s a belt tightening kind of year, but there are a few bright spots. “You’re already aware there has been a slowdown in tax revenue this year. It’s no secret that the economy is stretched thin by inflation and the cost of goods. Salt Lake County residents must manage their households with less purchasing power per dollar, and so must we. And unlike the federal budget, the county balances its budget each year,” said Wilson during the address. Salt Lake County is among only a handful of counties that has a Triple-A bond rating and is rated as one of the most fiscally responsible counties in the nation, and Wilson aims to keep it that way, while continuing to provide existing, quality services to county residents. Services provided by the county are numerous, ranging from libraries and recreation centers, to mental health services and services for aging adults. It is also responsible for criminal justice, which includes behavioral health, jails and prosecution. Within the budget are the services provided by the County Health Department from expected things like screenings and
By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com immunizations, to more obscure services like noise pollution, noxious weed control, tobacco prevention, bee inspection and water quality. The county also provides culture and arts opportunities via venues like the Eccles Theater and the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center and through various localized programs. Belt tightening measures Tax revenue for 2023 increased by about 2%, but the increase was absorbed by rising costs. Healthcare premiums increased by 10% for county employees and inflation increased general costs of operation for existing county services. Additionally, much of the Covid-19 relief funding which padded the county budget has expired. To tighten the belt, the mayor proposed a targeted hiring freeze of vacant open positions that have remained unfilled for six months or more. Also, the county has already denied 90% of requests for general funding increases by divisions and departments, while allowing the county to continue to fulfill contractual obligations and existing programs. Additionally, the county hopes to reduce travel expenses by county employees by half, resulting in a savings of approximately a million dollars. Bright spots for county employees and county youth County employees: “I’ll be honest, the amount I’m recommending for employee compensation is far less than I’d like,” said Wilson, while proposing a 2.75% salary increase for employees and sworn officers. Wilson also proposed a round of
Fairmont Aquatic and Recreation Center is one of many county recreation centers that will be free of charge for county youth if the proposed 2024 Salt Lake County budget is passed. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)
WestJordanJournal .com
one-time tiered employee recognition pay. Though there was a significant increase in healthcare costs for the county, none of the increase will be passed on to employees, and employees with a high deductible plan will continue to pay nothing for monthly premiums. County Recreation Centers: The mayor proposed opening rec centers to all kids in Salt Lake County, free of charge, via a new program called My County Recs Pass. Currently the annual rate for an All-County recreation center pass for youth (ages 3-17) is $135, with slightly lower rates for one-center options. For families with tight budgets, this optional expense is something they cannot easily afford. The My County Recs Pass program proposal is projected to cost $2.3 million annually. This cost represents the personnel and operational costs in addition to the reduction in revenue from youth pass sales. Costs will be covered using TRCC funding, an existing tax set aside by the county to support cultural and economic growth within its boundaries. “We are also expecting some new revenues from adult passes for parents and increased sign-ups for programs,” said Robin Chalhoub, Director of Community
Services for Salt Lake County. “We did not add that [increased revenue] to the proposal and we are excited to see how it increases.” County Library late fees: Wilson also proposed eliminating County Library late fees for children. This program was piloted during the summer of 2023, based on the concern that late fees are a barrier to lower income families coming to the library to borrow books and other learning materials, and was a success. The proposed County Library’s 2024 budget contains $115,000 from the Library Fund to replace the potential lost revenue from fees collected. “We are implementing these programs to remove barriers for Salt Lake County children and teens to libraries and recreation centers. We know that by having access to these services, our youth will have improved socio-emotional and physical health,” Chalhoub said. “The overall community benefits from the promotion of well-being, safety, and social cohesion. Additionally, health disparities, inequities, and long-term costs associated with healthcare and juvenile delinquency are potentially reduced.” l
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West Jordan City Journal
Christmas Unwrapped
I
t was the Christmas season as I Peri Kinder wandered the aisles at Gibson’s Discount Center with a $5 bill Life and Laughter crumpled in my pocket. It was 1975 and parents didn’t care if their 7-year-old wandered alone through a store. I’d earned money to buy my parents Christmas gifts and I had to find the perfect presents. I imagined mom’s surprise when she unwrapped a brand new purse that wasn’t filled with broken crayons, Cheerios and used tissues. I pictured dad’s excitement as he opened the model airplane he would assemble at the kitchen table. I would be an example of humility as they raved about my thoughtfulness. Dad agreed to drive me to Gibson’s and we climbed into our blue Ford Pinto. Once there, I told him he couldn’t follow me, that I wanted the presents to be a surprise. He hung out at the soda fountain drinking root beer so I could shop with privacy. It didn’t take long to realize my $5 wouldn’t cover the cost of a purse or a model airplane. My heart sank as I walked the aisles. Everything was so expensive. Maybe mom wanted an oven mitt or a wooden spoon. Perhaps dad would like a small bottle of model glue. Then I saw it. A pint-sized, cut-glass pitcher that gleamed under the store’s fluorescent lighting. It looked so elegant. It wasn’t big enough to mix a half-gallon of Kool-Aid but I didn’t think mom would care. She would cherish it for all eternity. And it was only $3.
That left a present for dad. Walking past the drugstore aisle, I saw a mini-size bottle of Brut aftershave for less than $2. Mission accomplished. I wrapped the presents and placed them under the tree, right up front. On Christmas Eve, I had the holiday insomnia where you try to sleep but you hear jingle bells and ho-ho-hos and prancing reindeer on the roof. Finally, it was morning and I dashed down the stairs. I don’t remember what I got for Christmas that year. Probably a Madame Alexander doll, a Nancy Drew book and a journal with a heart-shaped lock. What I do remember is being so excited for my parents to open their presents. Mom unwrapped her gift first. I watched with the giddy excitement of a child who knows she nailed the perfect present. She opened her glass pitcher and held it up for everyone to see. It sparkled in the tree’s lights. Dad was so grateful for his little bottle of Brut that he never used it. The tiny green bottle sat on the bathroom shelf for at least a decade. I asked him once why he didn’t use it. Didn’t he like it? “I love it!” he said. “But if I use it, it will be gone and then I won’t have it anymore.” I get it, dad. I feel the same way about the expensive bottle of tequila in my office. Mom filled the pitcher with her homemade syrup we poured on pancakes, waffles and French toast. She used
it for all my childhood. My grandkids ate pancakes with syrup poured from that pitcher. I think she even took it with her when she moved to North Carolina. It takes so little to make a child feel loved. It’s sometimes hard to use the gifts kids give you for the holidays, but they’re always watching. Wear the macaroni necklace. Use the syrup pitcher. Put on the reindeer earrings. Your child will never forget.l
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