West Jordan Journal | September 2023

WHY AI SHOULD BE IN THE CLASSROOM

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

Editor’s note: this is the first in an ongoing series about artificial intelligence in schools. Are kids using AI to complete their school assignments? West Jordan Middle School Principal Eric Price hopes they are.

“A lot of educators are trying to figure out the best way to use AI because we really have to teach like it exists,” Price said. “It's definitely going to change what we do, and we have to be able to look at it and teach the kids how it works, so they understand the strengths and the limitations.”

Price has been an avid proponent of the benefits of technology in education.

“When ChatGPT came out, it was like my mind was just blown,” he said. “I thought ‘If this doesn't change how we do things and education, nothing is going to change what we're doing in education.’”

Price believes that because of the direction new technologies are heading, educators need to ask themselves what the end goal of education is.

“Are we trying to get students to memorize every fact or every item on the periodic table? No, we're trying to teach them skills so that they can acquire that information when they need it,” he said. “We're trying to teach them skills. We want them to be problem solvers. We want them to be collaborative.”

He said these are the skillsets students need for future jobs, which unlike in the school environment where sharing information is called cheating, coworkers are encouraged to collaborate.

“When you have a question or you don't know how to do something, you use your tools, because you have to solve those problems,” Price said. “And so we want kids to think critically, to problem solve, to analyze, to be able to take what they have, their tools, and be able to use them to the best of their abilities. That's the direction education is going.”

Continued page 10

Principal Eric Price experiments with AI tools. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

Clubs prepare students for real world (and out of this world) problem-solving

During after-school clubs offered at Itineris Early College High School, students are learning to change the world, affect the environment, run a business, excel in a high tech career, make a positive impact on others and grow crops on Mars.

“Per our school policy, all of our clubs must be tied to academics,” Director of Students and Facilities Jeff Bossard said. “The advantage the clubs offer is a way to connect what students learn in class to the real world.”

School clubs include National Honors Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Environmental Science Club, Bio Builders, Latinos In Action, HOSA, SheTech, yearbook staff and esports club.

Kaleb Sparks began his education at Itineris three years ago with a goal to take advantage of all the opportunities available. That’s how he ended up president of both NHS and FBLA clubs during his senior year.

He knew extracurricular activities would look good on college applications (he earned a scholarship to BYU), but he also chose to get involved because an older student told him he would enjoy his high school experience more if he did.

He took that advice and got involved in the school community, which helped him make more friends. Participating in club competitions helped him develop interpersonal and leadership skills.

“What I've tried to learn is how I can take the skills that I learned in these competitions and apply it to whatever field I choose to go into,” he said.

This spring, at the induction ceremony for new NHS members, it came full circle for Sparks.

“I remember looking out and seeing our new members and I remember think-

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By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

ing about the ‘me’ of two years ago and how I had wanted to be involved,” he said.

“I sat in that chair two years ago, and now I'm here, sitting at the front. It was just really meaningful to me to see my dream come to that fulfillment.”

Carter Limb, who is a senior this year, headed up last year’s Bio Builders Club project based on his out-of-this-world idea for a solution for growing crops on Mars.

“I simply thought that if we can utilize simplistic organisms, like algae and fungi, on the soil that's already there, we could potentially make it so it's a suitable kind of pseudo soil,” he said.

To test Limb’s theory, club members used the school resources and lab equipment, many of which high school students normally don’t have access to, student Kaydence Roach said.

“I’ve been figuring out how the equipment works, and preparing myself on how to do research and to see patterns in how everything works,” Roach said, who hopes to explore a career in biology, pathology or psychology.

Bio Builders Club Adviser Randy Booth encourages students to pursue their interests, and with the local growth of the biotech field, prepares them for biotech jobs.

“There's a strong workforce need here locally, so there's been a lot of effort to recruit students and to get them trained,” he said. “This is one of my attempts to try and get students excited about it, without the stress of tests and assignments, so they can get into it and see that it's fun, and then that will, hopefully, motivate them to continue.”

Booth is also the adviser for the HOSA Club for students interested in health care professions. At HOSA club meetings, stu-

dents learn from guest speakers in various health fields and organize regular blood drives. They also prepare to participate in competitions that give them experience in various healthcare skills.

SheTech is a new club this year, which Bossard said will “offer an opportunity for our female students to have a comfortable

space to explore careers in the tech world and put their skills to work on real-world projects.”

Itineris is a free public charter school, whose principal, Renee Edwards, was recently named as the Utah Charter Network Principal of the Year. l

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Itineris Early College High School students Carter Limb and Kaydence Roach experiment with algae in various conditions to find a feasible additive to allow crops to grow in Martian soil. (Jet Burnham/City Journals)

School counselors select best of the best for Jordy Awards

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

School counselors advise students about academics, course options, graduation requirements, career paths, college preparation, scholarships, mental health issues and identify and accommodate students with learning obstacles such as ADHD, autism and English as a second language. They also offer support to staff members and parents.

“There is a lot that we do— it's a big job,” Jordan District Secondary Counselor Consultant Stacee Worthen said.

Jordan District counselors follow a comprehensive school counseling program based on state guidelines and defined by priorities parents, students and teachers identify in a survey which is sent out every three years.

“We're looking at the data to make sure that we're implementing a program that is based on the needs of our community, our students, our parents and our teachers,” Worthen said.

How they implement the programs to meet those needs is up to the creativity of individual counselors. Worthen has been impressed with the dedication and innovation of counselors in Jordan District and created an award to recognize them.

“We're really just trying to come up with ways to really highlight them and show them that we see that they're working hard, we see that they have the best interest of the kids in mind,” Worthen said. “They're really advocating and contributing in a positive way for Jordan School District.”

The first ever Jordy Awards winners, nominated and selected by their colleagues are:

Natalie Bartholomew, Herriman Ele-

mentary School

Jody Jensen, Copper Mountain Middle School

Alyson Law, Fort Herriman Middle School

John Blodgett, Mountain Ridge High School

Counselors around the district were bursting with praise for their colleagues. Melissa Yardley, who was previously a counselor at Fort Herriman Middle and is now at Riverside Elementary, submitted several nominations.

“I nominated a bunch of my co-workers, actually, from all across the district,” she said. “I think it's fantastic that there's more recognition being placed out there for a lot of really hard work that goes into being a school counselor. And I was really grateful for the opportunity to be able to try and throw out some suggestions for people to be recognized for the work that they're doing.”

One colleague Yardley is most impressed with is Alyson Law, who she described as an exceptional counselor with contagious enthusiasm and positivity.

“Alyson is a passionate and dedicated counselor who has made a significant impact on the students and staff at Fort Herriman Middle School,” Yardley said. “She’s always thinking about how to best serve the needs of her students. She’s proactive in finding solutions and sees a need before it becomes a problem.”

Worthen agrees.

“Alyson Law is cool,” she said. “She’s like the cool mom. She is always thinking outside the box and how she can do a better job for these kids. She just cares. She connects deeply with these kids. She’s su-

per smart and she just does a really amazing job.”

Yardley said counselors have an impact on the school community because they are responsible for supporting not only students but parents and staff members, as well.

The Copper Mountain Middle counseling team doesn’t know what they would have done without Jody Jensen, who increased her hours to cover the workload of her coworker Heather Kirby who went on maternity leave last year.

“She went above and beyond to step in while I was gone and take on so much,” Kirby said. “She works way more hours than her part-time because she cares so much about helping her students be successful.”

Worthen said “Jody Jensen is spectacular. She's a really, really great, solid counselor. The kids love her. She's positive and she's done a great job.”

Those who nominated Natalie Bartholomew mentioned her infectious positive attitude and dedication to her students and coworkers.

“She is always willing to jump in, help and be available to students, parents and teachers when they need her,” said one nominator. “She is continually leading by example, turning negative situations into positive and doing everything in her power to advocate for and support her students. Natalie is such a wonderful asset to the school counseling profession.”

Worthen was not surprised that Bartholomew was among the Jordy Award winners.

“Natalie Bartholomew is probably the most phenomenal school counselor

that you will ever come across,” she said. “She's smart. She's caring. She's very proactive when it comes to trying to do what's best for kids.”

Jordan District counselors meet regularly to collaborate and share ideas as a professional learning community. The number of school counselors in Jordan District has grown from 88 counselors six years ago to 153 this year. That number will increase as open positions are filled.

To fill these available positions, most at the elementary school level, Jordan District partners with state universities to provide internship and shadowing opportunities, mentoring, training and a Grow Your Own grant to help with tuition reimbursement for students studying to become school counselors.

“We really are trying to be innovative and trying to do some things to help support school counselors,” Worthen said. “We really want them to be their very best so that what they can provide for students is the absolute best.”

Worthen said John Blodgett is an example of the effective mentoring Jordan District provides new counselors. Last year at Mountain Ridge High, Blodgett had an entire staff of newbies, which he mentored, officially and unofficially. Many of them nominated him for the Jordy Award.

“His newbies were really complimentary,” Worthen said.

One said, “John is the kind of leader who makes you feel empowered and capable. He guides, but he also lets your creativity shine. Even if the idea is different than how he would normally do things, he is always open to trying new things.” l

Jordy Award winner Alyson Law, a school counselor at Fort Herriman Middle School. (Photo courtesy of Amy Gibson/Jordan District)

Jordy Award winner Jody Jensen, a school counselor at Copper Mountain Middle School. (Photo courtesy of Amy Gibson/Jordan District)

Jordy Award winner John Blodgett, a school counselor at Mountain Ridge High School. (Photo courtesy of Amy Gibson/Jordan District)

Jordy Award winner Natalie Bartholomew, a school counselor at Herriman Elementary School. (Photo courtesy of Amy Gibson/Jordan District)

Editor’s note: this is partof an ongoing series about artificial intelligence in schools. Jordan School District collaborated with SchoolAI.com to test and develop an AI tool specifically for use in the classroom.

“We did a summer pilot with 100 teachers, and 100% of the 100 teachers loved it and want to continue it,” Jordan District Communications Director Sandy Riesgraf said.

The original 100 pilot participants quickly became 300 users as teachers spread the word to colleagues about the tool, and once teachers got back to school, they shared the tool with others so that more new users are signing up every day.

Due to participants’ enthusiasm, the pilot was extended and Jordan District Superintendent Dr. Anthony Godfrey is looking into ways to provide AI tools for all teachers for the long term.

“I'm excited to embrace new opportunities that can help support the work of teachers and students,” he said. “I think that AI has some big possibilities and I want to be sure that we are providing a responsible option for teachers and students who want to explore this opportunity.”

Jill Firkins, a sixth grade teacher at Jordan Hills Elementary, was excited to participate in the pilot.

“I didn't really know what AI was, I just knew that it was coming, and so I wanted to figure out how I could make it work for me instead of fighting against it,” she said.

She spent the summer exploring the tool’s features.

“Now I'm super duper excited about it, just thinking about all the possibilities,” she said. “I'm just excited that the district is embracing it and will allow it to be used as a tool, because I think it's coming no matter what, and so we can choose how we want to deal with that.”

The SchoolAI platform features tools for teachers, students and administrators. Spencer Campbell, principal at Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School, even came up with ideas for how front office workers can use the technology to streamline their jobs.

One advantage of SchoolAI is that it is aligned with state educational standards. When a teacher asks the AI to generate a lesson plan or group activity, the appropriate grade-level state standards are automatically incorporated into the response.

“Teachers can narrow down to a specific state standard for creative writing prompts, or create these little moments when kids are working with the AI live,” Campbell said.

Other tools pilot participants discovered were ways to quickly assess students and to provide meaningful feedback.

“The kids are getting instant feedback on their content, their writing, about whether or not they're hitting the specified target by the teacher,” Campbell said. “Ultimately, as edu-

Jordan District teachers give AI a try

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

cators, that's our goal, to give students feedback as efficiently, accurately and quickly as possible.”

Andrew Holmes, a science teacher at West Jordan Middle School, said the feedback SchoolAI can provide him about student’s comprehension will help him use his time more efficiently.

“I have six classes, all of them with about 34 students in each class, so if I ask all of them to give me a one-paragraph description of what they saw on a science experiment, that means I have 200 paragraphs to read and give meaningful feedback in a timely manner so the kids can learn before we move on,” he said. “And so I don’t think this is going to replace me, this is helping the overworked teacher do what they want to do.”

During the summer pilot, Holmes discovered ways to use SchoolAI to enhance his teaching, develop lesson plans and create interactive activities.

One feature he is excited to use with his students is an interactive forum in which they can have a conversation with the chatbot about a topic within parameters Holmes has specified. The bot can ask questions, adapt the conversation to the students’ responses and assess students’ comprehension.

“It can get deeper with 36 kids in the same amount of time it would take me to get to the same depth with one,” Holmes said. “They’re having personalized conversations with artificial intelligence, basically using a clone of me because I told it what to say.”

Kevin Morrill of SchoolAI.com said they are developing a tool that will help teachers become overall better teachers.

“Teachers know if you can find ways to keep the students engaged, participating and excited, then learning is increasing, the outcomes and objectives of the day are increasing,” Morrill said.

One teacher used the chatbot to review the elements of mitosis in the voice of SpongeBob Square Pants for young students.

Firkins said using SchoolAI helps increase her creativity, giving her a jumping off point to develop her ideas.

“It's like having an extra teammate that has fresh new ideas and then you can tweak them,” she said.

Another of SchoolAI’s features analyzes students’ responses to prompts to give the teacher a snapshot of their students’ emotional state and readiness to learn.

“Until this generative AI came out, doing something like that was an extremely manual grading process of reviewing handwritten or open text,” Morrill said. “Most of the time, teachers don't even do that because it takes too long to read all of that information.”

Pilot participants said the biggest benefit of using AI was the time it saved.

Firkins, who has been teaching for 20 years, said it simplified some of the paperwork

and preparation work she does as a teacher.

“The less time I'm at my desk, the more time I'm with kids,” she said. “So it really helps me to focus in more on the learning side and focus on the reasons why I got into the profession and why I love the profession.”

Holmes said there are limitations to using AI. It can’t access live information or recent events.

“There are limitations at the moment, but give it a couple of months,” Holmes said. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be in another six months or a year and I feel like I’m with it. The applications are growing faster than we can realize to use them.”

So far, he has been impressed with SchoolAI’s efficiency and accuracy. He asked the AI to organize a semester of lesson plans to teach about 30 different ocean species, which would have taken him about four hours. In just 30 seconds, the AI provided all the information for the lessons and even organized them into weekly themes.

Holmes was pleasantly surprised when he checked the content for accuracy.

“I’m not just trusting that it’s perfect, but as I was going through it, at least on that example, it was 100% correct,” he said.

Jordan District Digital Teaching and Learning Administrator Jared Covili said the pilot was a good opportunity to ease people’s fears about artificial intelligence.

“Most of the stories people hear about AI talk about how negative it is or how it will impact students and teachers negatively,” he said. “Our experience has been very different from that. AI is going to influence every part of our world and education is no different, and so for us to assume we shouldn’t have this in classrooms, that’s backwards thinking.”

Covili said people worried that Google search and Wikipedia would cause students to cheat until educators taught them how to use them responsibly as tools and not replacements for learning.

Some worry that AI will replace teachers.

“The teacher is not getting replaced by AI, they're just leveraging AI to be a better teacher, to be more prepared when they go in front of the class,” Morrill said. “They use our platform to do a lot of the heavy lifting. They get about 80% down the road using the platform on any given thing and then they can put on their creative hats, their experience, and then bake that into it. So we're seeing more prepared lessons, more prepared courses and units. We actually think that AI has the potential to increase humanity in the classroom by giving teachers more time to connect more deeply with students.”

Another appeal of SchoolAI is that it provides an AI experience that can be controlled by teachers.

“We want to make sure that AI is used responsibly, safely and in a way that supports the learning process, and supports students and teachers so that it doesn't take anything away, but adds to that experience,” Riesgraf said.

Morrill said there are protections against cheating written into the programming. Students can use SchoolAI’s writing companion as a coach, but can’t trick it into writing their essay for them.

“The writing companion will help them with sentence structure, writer's block, and be a companion through the writing process in a way that complements the learning process, not circumvents it,” Morrill said.

This summer’s collaboration with Jordan District is the first time SchoolAI.com, an American Fork company which launched last year, has worked with an entire district. Pilot participants, which included teachers and administrators at every level, gave honest and frank feedback to the SchoolAI program engineers. Their comments helped influence and shape the tool into what they needed and wanted, which resulted in a better product, Morrill said.

“Week after week, we were just shaping the way AI in the classroom is going to look,” Morrill said. l

Andrew Holmes, Jared Covili, Dr. Anthony Godfrey, and Jill Firkins were eager to participate in the SchoolAI pilot. (Photo courtesy of Jordan School District.)

A special homecoming for new CHHS principal

Copper Hills High School students have been welcomed back to the Grizz Nation with a week of spirited Homecoming activities including an assembly, parade, pep rally, tailgate, football game and dance.

“Since it’s so early on in the year, it really joins us all together,” Public Relations Student Body Officer Phoebe Ojo said. “Because when you go out to the parade, and go to tailgate, you get to meet new people, and you get to see different clubs and different activities. It's just a whole, ‘Hello, welcome to Copper Hills’ type of thing and it brings a lot of people in and makes people feel more comfortable with each other.”

For new CHHS Principal Rae Garrison, coming to work at CHHS is a special kind of homecoming. Her father Bruce Garrison, known as Papa Grizz, was the first principal of Copper Hills High School when it opened in 1995.

He was principal until 1999, when he had to retire due to health problems. Garrison said her dad was such a part of the CHHS community that they named the school’s football field after him and that many former students and staff members attended his funeral, which was held in the school’s auditorium.

“I can't even explain how much my

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

dad loved Copper Hills,” Garrison said. “He just loved kids and people and wanted to bring out the best. He had a magical way of actually doing that. I definitely strive to be like my dad because he was a wonderful human being and leader, so it's an honor for me to follow in his footsteps and to be able to be here. It means a lot. It is definitely a dream job for me.”

Garrison, who has been the principal at West Jordan Middle School for the past 10 years (where her father also was a principal), is excited to create a school culture and climate celebrating CHHS students’ achievements and creating an energy that will give them momentum.

“The school is part of the students’ identity,” she said. “‘I’m a Copper Hills Grizzly” needs to have a really positive impression on the kids when they think about their school. Whatever the school’s reputation is is what they’ll identify with.”

She has been impressed so far with the school spirit and has tasked her new administrative intern with keeping the community aware of school activities and accomplishments on social media platforms.

“I want to elevate the visibility of Copper Hills throughout the state and promote our brand, who we are as a school,” she said. “There’s so much going on here

that we need to tell our story, just get it out there and make sure everybody knows all the great things that go on at Copper Hills.”

With 2,800 students, CHHS has the largest student body in Jordan District and is the largest 10-12 grade high school in the state of Utah. This year’s school theme is Together As One, which reflects the student leaders’ and Garrison’s hope that all students will feel part of the school community and enjoy their time at CHHS.

“It’s a huge high school, so I realize I'm not going to get to know every kid, I may just pass them in the hall,” she said. “But I want every kid to have a great experience here, to have a class they love, a group they’re a part of, an activity they participate in, something that really helps shape and define who they are. I’m excited to see the kids really settling in and choosing their path and becoming an adult.” l

DISTRICT 1

EXPERIENCE

As an At-Large Council Member from 2018-2021, I gained tremendous experience that will continue to benefit District 1.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Utility funds should only be used to pay for the needs of our water, sewer, wastewater and street lights like they were appropriated for.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

My goal is to keep finding ways to make West Jordan the destination on the West Side for businesses that are looking for a great place to move or re-locate.

Principal Rae Garrison poses at Copper Hills High School’s stadium, which was named after her father, Bruce Garrison, the school’s first principal. (Photo by Krysten Wingert)

Principal Rae Garrison (center) at a Copper Hills High School kickoff event for the 2023-24 school year, with her mom, Patricia Garrison, (at left) and her sister, Honey Johnson, (at right). The Garrisons have been Grizzlies fans since Bruce Garrison, Rae’s father, served as the first principal of Copper Hills High School. (Photo by Krysten Wingert)

Happy and healthy teens rely on Sources of Strength

By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com

How many friends does a high school student need? The more, the better, according to Brandt Haberman, the Wasatch Front School Counselor of the Year.

At West Jordan High School, Haberman helped build up the suicide prevention program Sources of Strength, which encourages students to build social connections.

According to a 2019 study cited by the Sources of Strength program, social connections are an indicator of suicide risk; the more social connections a student has, the fewer suicide ideations and attempts.

The Sources of Strength program at West Jordan High School is run by student peer leaders who represent a variety of backgrounds, cultures, extracurricular activities and personalities.

“The idea behind building the peer leader group is to find students from as many social circles as possible in the school,” Haberman said. “We are really trying to get someone from all walks of life, from all different friend groups, to get into the class and learn some of those skills and do the campaigns. So hopefully, between that struggling student’s friends and all of the activities and the support from adults in the school, we really have a wraparound support for them.”

In the Sources of Strength class, peer leaders learn about the eight areas of strength: family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, physical health and mental health.

“Once peer leaders have been trained, they will be the tools needed to get this curriculum out to our student population,” Robyn Briggs said, who will be teaching the class this year.

Peer leaders plan lunchtime and after-school activities, focusing on one of the eight sources of strength each month. Students are introduced to (or reminded of) the program each September, which coincides with Suicide Prevention Month.

Haberman said it is effective when peer leaders educate their friends about ways they can strengthen themselves and others to face the challenges in their lives.

“The more that we can spread that message, the healthier our communities can be,” Haberman said.

Sources of Strength is an upstream prevention program, meaning instead of just addressing suicide prevention, it addresses behaviors that lead to a happier life overall, which, in turn, reduces risk of suicide.

“Sources of Strength focuses on the strengths that everyone has in their lives rather than the challenges that we face,” Briggs said. “This mentality has been proven to help students and their mental health. This strategy also encourages students to break the silence when they are struggling, increasing their possibility of seeking help during hard times.”

Utah law requires all secondary schools to have a suicide prevention program. An annual suicide prevention presentation is also given to all students to educate them on warning signs, risk factors and support resources. Additionally, wellness.jordandistrict.org provides suicide prevention and mental health resources for students and parents.

Haberman earned his Counselor of the Year award, in part, for the impact he has had on suicide prevention efforts in Jordan School District,

including helping to develop the district’s Wellness Department.

“I just started talking to a lot of different people about what we were doing,” he said. “It wasn't really an official capacity, and we didn't have a committee, but we just started looking at all of the current practices and what was best practice. I just was involved in a lot of conversations.”

Haberman worked at Herriman High School during the year they experienced a rash of student suicides and was at West Jordan High School for four years. He now works at the district level, where he can focus exclusively on researching and implementing best practices for counselors to best support students and their families.

“I think school counselors are in such a unique position to be able to help students and families identify problems early on and make sure that they get the help that they need,” Haberman said. “I just want to be a support to that whole system and to families in the community. My goal of getting into school counseling is to help build positive, healthy communities.” l

West Jordan High School teacher Tony Akin and some of last year’s Sources of Strength peer leaders. (Photo courtesy of Tony Akin)

Price said this will require a mind shift of what makes a student “smart.”

“I think the definition of intelligence is really going to change,” he said. “For so long, it's been you're intelligent because you can memorize all these facts. Well, guess what? I can acquire any information in literal seconds. It’s ‘What can you do with these facts that you've acquired?’ not ‘What facts have you acquired?’”

Fort Herriman Middle School Counselor Alyson Law said part of the problem with incorporating technology into the classroom is that the country’s education system was developed in the 1950s during the industrial age.

“We're now way out of the industrial age and we're almost out of the information age and we're into another stage that requires creativity,” she said. “The intelligence that these students have far surpasses some of the intelligence that I have, the way that they're able to think about the world, and do things and process information so quickly is amazing.”

Price said the old learning model, in which students attended school to learn from the expert, to be told exactly the process to follow to learn the material, is outdated.

“In all honesty, we got into this business to work for kids, and to teach kids and to help kids and to give them a leg up in life,”

Price said. “We didn't get into it because we wanted everybody to know the Pythagorean Theorem.”

A new model is emerging in which educators show students the process of learning and how to apply what they’ve learned to real world situations. Technology is a key part of this education model, however, there is a lot of public mistrust of AI technology, Price said.

Fear of new technology is nothing new. Socrates was worried that if people had access to too many books, they wouldn’t learn how to memorize anymore. Harvard University professors worried that when blackboards were introduced, students wouldn’t read the textbook anymore. And math teachers used to worry that if students used a calculator, they wouldn’t learn math concepts anymore.

In all these cases, Price said educators had to find the best way to leverage the new tools.

Tasks teachers used to do on paper, such as attendance, grading and researching, have been digitized and automated to save teachers time, said Spencer Campbell, principal of Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School.

“There are parts of AI that will take that to the next level and essentially teachers will have a full-time coach,” Campbell said. “The idea that an AI bot can go out and search all of the information up to a certain point that's written on Utah history is com-

putationally better than what a teacher could do in an entire lifetime.”

Campbell believes AI can help teachers, administrators and students think beyond their own limitations.

“It helps me find information that I would not have been able to find on my own and organizes it in a way that I put in the prompt,” he said. “It will spit out a calendar of 36 weeks of mini professional development lessons that I can share with my teach-

ers about any concept that we want. That will happen in minutes, and it will think of things that I have not thought about.”

The time saved goes back to the students.

“Really what that means is more time for teachers to spend with kids creating that relationship, which really matters,” Campbell said.

Price and Campbell are avid fans of technology tools. They both post pro-AI videos on social media and encourage their colleagues to incorporate tools such as Ghat GPT, photo editing and creation tools. Price said even using simpler technology such as Siri and Alexa bots in the classroom can prepare students to be future workers and leaders.

“I've actually been fighting to try to get those into the schools because that's where businesses are going,” Price said. “What can we do to leverage that so that we can not only expose kids to it, but we can help them to be able to use it so that they can be the ones that create the future?”

Chromebooks in every classroom has been a step in the right direction, allowing teachers to individualize instruction and use tech tools in their lessons, said Price. Fort Herriman Middle School’s ninth graders will be using iPads this year, thanks to Price, who said they are more compatible with the AI tools already available to students and teachers through Adobe Suite.

Jordan School District Superintendent Dr. Anthony Godfrey is onboard for using AI in the classroom.

“I've seen over the years how technological advancements can help enhance the experience that we provide the students,” he said. “I want to be sure we're providing the very best learning environment for students that we possibly can, and I think artificial intelligence, used responsibly, can be an important component of a great education.”

Jared Covili, Jordan Districts’s administrator of Digital Teaching and Learning, said incorporating AI in the classroom has been a top priority for the last several months. His eight-person department tracks as many AI tools as they can but they don’t have time to vet every tool teachers want to use.

“A new AI tool pops up every day and so the real story for any school district is that you can spend all of your time trying to filter every tool or you can help people learn how to use them appropriately, and that’s more of the vein that we’re trying to take,” Covili said. “So many things are changing with AI, but one thing we know won’t change is that teachers are going to want to use it to help improve what they do in their classrooms. AI is going to be a part of our classrooms and so that’s something we definitely have to address.” l

A graphic Eric Price asked AI to generate to represent his position change from being a Fort Herriman Middle diamondback to a West Jordan Middle lion. (Photo courtesy of Eric Price)

Former Copper Hills grad Taylor drafted into Major League Baseball

Aformer Copper Hills standout baseball player was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. The first such pick for the school and community.

Brayden Taylor graduated from Copper Hills High School in 2020 amid the COVID pandemic and a canceled senior baseball season. After that dreadful season end his then coach Joel Sundquist called him the best.

“I consider him the best player in the state,” Sundquist said after the 2020 school year. “COVID robbed him of the opportunity to hear his name called in the MLB draft.”

He finally got that opportunity in July. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the first round, 19th overall. He was drafted as a shortstop. He said he was excited.

“This has been nothing but great,” he said in a press conference. “I am really excited to be here. I am the type of player that will never give up and always be a hard worker.”

He found out about the pick two seconds before as he sat backstage at the MLB draft party. He was there with his parents, two brothers and girlfriend.

“I felt my legs go right out from under me. I still can’t feel my legs,” he told reporters after his selection. “Being able to hug my family, it was fantastic. I am very grateful.”

Taylor attended TCU in Fort Worth, Tex-

By Greg James | g.james@mycityjournals.com

as. He was a Baseball America (an amateur baseball publication) third-team selection this season and first-team all Big-12. He was instrumental in guiding TCU to the college world series. This year he hit .308 and had 23 home runs which tied the single-season school record.

“TCU was tremendous for me. I was able to go there and live on my own. I went to a new state. I have grown since being there. I can’t thank them enough for putting me in that position,” Taylor said.

On draft night the MLB draft analysts had nothing but praise for the Utahn.

“This is a young man that we have never seen struggle in college baseball. He had a lot of helium coming into draft night,” Greg Amsinger, an MLB network host, said.

“He was as good or better than anyone in college baseball this year. He will need to learn to hit the ball the other way, but he does not swing and miss at pitches in the zone at all. This is a great characteristic,” Dan O’Dowd, an MLB insider, said.

Tampa Bay assigned Taylor to the Single-A Charleston River Dogs. At press time he has two home runs and is hitting .250. He has been playing third base. The River Dogs are in first place in the Carolina League for the second half, the league plays a split season.

Taylor credits his family and training as a youth.

“In Utah, we got lots of snow. I had to get creative. What I did when no one was watching makes the difference,” Taylor said. He also gave advice to others. “Don’t try to make big strides every day. As long as you can improve

by one percent. Then hit your head on the pillow and say I had a good day today.”

According to Baseball Reference, Taylor is the fourth player from Copper Hills High School to play professional baseball. They also include Ryan Khoury, Drew Larsen and Ben Wright. l

Dr. S. Martin Gardois, DDS, and his wife Linsey DeLisle, opened Cozy Cabin Dental in 2019. With more than 25 years of dentistry experience, Dr. Gardois wanted to create a place where patients could relax, like they’re at home. The office in West Jordan looks like a log cabin and is designed to help people feel comfortable when they visit.

Linsey is an o cer in the United States Air Force Reserve where she’s worked as an aircraft maintainer, program manager and IT tech for the Department of Veterans A airs. She is also the o cer manager and part-owner of Cozy Cabin Dental.

Why should patients visit Cozy Cabin Dental?

Lots of people have dental fear. We wanted a place where patients are comfortable asking questions and feel like they’re with family. Our customer service and outstanding quality sets us apart. We go above-and-beyond to make sure a patient understands the care they need. Our goal is to provide comprehensive dentistry that doesn’t just involve cleanings and llings. We want to prevent pain. We do this by identifying issues before trouble begins. We push preventive care versus reactive care for less tooth loss and pain, and less cost.

What services do you provide?

We o er both medical and cosmetic dentistry to patients of all ages. Our o ce does everything from clear aligners, sleep appliances and implants, to appliances for kids that double as a sleep appliance to guide adult teeth into the proper place. We use technology with 3D x-ray for implant planning, soft tissue laser and an extensive line of whitening products to t every budget.

Dr. Gardois loves doing implants and crowns using a German-engineered system that is guided with 3D technology. We use one of Utah’s nest labs for our crowns and back them with a 5-year guarantee.

What sets you apart from competitors?

Let us demonstrate our outstanding customer service and comprehensive quality dentistry. We take most insurances, even Medicare dental plans, and our administrative team advocates to get a patient’s procedures covered. We have nancing options to make the treatment t your budget as well as maximizing dental bene ts.

Patients with dental bene ts don’t ask the question “What happens if my insurance doesn’t cover the procedure?”. We need to ask dental o ces if they’ve led appeals or led a

complaint with the insurance commissioner. Also, the patient can help by calling their insurance carrier or talking with their employer’s human resource department letting them know the company is not covering procedures.

What would you say to someone considering doing business with you?

Dr. Gardois’ grandfather passed away of a heart attack which they linked to periodontitis. It became his passion to prevent this from happening to others by providing an a ordable inhouse plan for those without insurance and dental knowledge for all members of the community. People often think brushing and ossing is enough, however, tartar builds up under the gum line that a toothbrush and oss can’t reach. So it’s important to come in for regular dental check ups!

Do you o er any specials or discounts?

We o er a $99 new patient special that includes an exam, 2D x-rays and cleaning. In addition, we o er a $59 limited exam and 2D x-ray of a problem area. Most people opt for our outstanding savings plan that covers x-rays, exams and cleanings three times per year for patients with periodontitis at $399 and two times per year for a normal cleaning at $299. We also have a kid’s plan for those under 12 for $199. This also includes 30% o most services and 50% o a deep cleaning. Anything else you’d like readers to know?

We are a humble, family-owned business and pride ourselves on taking care of our patients. Our motto is “Your home for dental health” and we mean it. Come in and you’ll see how our care surpasses your expectations!

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Brayden Taylor (right) and assigned him to the Charleston River Dogs. (Photo courtesy of Copper Hills baseball)

Pet therapy: A scratch behind the ears for humans

Sometimes it feels like a dog’s life

If you’re lonely or stressed there’s nothing like having someone to lean on, who will listen without judgement to what’s been getting you down, someone who doesn’t give unsolicited or unhelpful advice, someone who doesn’t care if you are sick, or old or anxious.

Now what if this someone was also cute and soft and they met you in the place where you needed them the most, say at school just before a big exam or in the hospital when you’re not feeling so great?

An Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI), or more familiarly pet therapy, can provide that special someone for humans who could use a “scratch behind the ears.” Utah Pet Partners is a local nonprofit provider of pet therapy and is dedicated to improving human health and well-being, in partnership with therapy animals.

“These sweet dogs help release anxiety during exam week,” said Heather Panek, the dean of nursing at Arizona College of Nursing in Murray, where therapy pets visit on a monthly basis to ease the stress of test taking. “There’s nothing more beneficial for our students than a laugh, a snuggle, and a moment or two with no worries.”

Where to get some puppy love

Utah Pet Partners collaborates with about 100 volunteer teams (pet and owner). Teams are often deployed to Primary Children’s Hospital and other hospitals around the state, local veterans homes, and memory care and assisted living facilities. At times they are summoned for crisis response and suicide prevention at mental health facilities.

There is empirical evidence that therapy animals reduce anxiety, improve healing time, and increase motivation for accomplishing difficult tasks (among many other positive outcomes). “Dekker knows just when people need to feel supported and when they need to be leaned into,” said Whitney Stewart, Pet Partners human volunteer, and owner of Dekker, a black standard poodle. “He doesn’t shy away.”

Therapy animals are frequent visitors to elementary schools, where their presence has proven benefits on emergent readers. When a child has someone to read out loud to, someone who will endlessly listen and not judge as they sound out words, they are willing to try harder and read longer, improving comprehension, test scores, and most importantly the love of reading.

One local volunteer team, Rumble (and his human companion Megan Stewart), have weekly visits at Brookhaven Elementary, where the fourth-grade class has named themselves Rumble’s Readers and eagerly look forward to his attention.

By Ella Joy Olsen | e.olsen@mycityjournals.com

Teams typically visit for about an hour to 90 minutes. There is no charge for a visit, as the organization is donation and volunteer based. However, for-profit companies will be asked for a donation. The visits are not intended for entertainment or novelty, they are therapeutic.

Purrrrfect Partner - Qualifications of a Volunteer team

About 90% of therapy animals are dogs, but many animals are eligible to volunteer in a pet team varying from cats to birds to llamas (no wild or exotic animals like iguanas).

“There is a handler course and an in-person evaluation each team must pass,” said Melany Hillstead, executive director of Utah Pet Partners. “We need to know how the pet will respond if they are hugged, or petted by people with limited mobility, and how they will respond in a stressful situation or in a crowd.”

The national Pet Partners organization provides the teams with professional handler training, support and mentoring, careful team assessment, and they have a commitment to animal welfare. Once the team passes the tests and a health examination, and becomes a registered Pet Partner team, they will be available for visits. Insurance is provided and the location of the visit is vetted for safety of the volunteers.

Treats for good behavior

The best reward for volunteering with Utah Pet Partners is the pleasure of helping others and in sharing the love of a good animal. But the organization also provides an annual volunteer appreciation picnic. This year it was held at Wheeler Farm and included dinner, a prize drawing, and games and treats for the pets. A doggone good time was had by all.

To inquire about a Pet Partner visit or to volunteer, visit utahpetpartners.org l

Dekker and his human companion Whitney Stewart visit the Arizona College of Nursing campus in Murray during exam week. (Ella Joy Olsen/City Journals)

Volunteer teams frolic at the volunteer appreciation picnic at Wheeler Farm. (Photo Utah Pet Partners)

These puppy eyes make everything less stressful. Moses is a Utah Pet Partners volunteer. (Photo Utah Pet Partners)

Do You Have a Chronic Wound?

If you have a wound that has been open for more than 4 weeks, then something in your body is not allowing that wound to heal properly. Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to proceed through the normal phases of wound healing in an orderly and timely manner. Often, chronic wounds stall in the inflammatory phase of healing.

How do you heal a wound that will not heal?

Debridement (removal of dead tissue) is the most common treatment for stubborn wounds, and involves the removal of unhealthy tissue within a chronic wound to promote the growth of healthy tissue, reduce complications of infection, and speed up the healing process.

Your care team may also suggest the following treatments:

• Antibiotics

• Skin substitute grafts

• Laser Treatments

• X-rays to assess for bone infection

• Scans to ensure proper blood flow is getting to the wound to promote healing

Visit Innovation Medical Group today to get a wound care specialist to help guide your care plan and to get your life back without a chronic wound present. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 801-758-2091. We are located at 4624 Holladay Blvd on the second floor in Suite 201 right above Olympus Family Medicine. We accept all major insurances and look forward to being able to enhance your quality of life.

High-scoring Copper Hills girls soccer team off to great start

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

Last season, the Copper Hills girls soccer team won five of their 18 games. A third of the way through this season, the Grizzlies already exceeded that win total.

As of Aug. 21, the Grizzlies were 6-0, with most of those games being blowouts. The offense has been on fire, too. Copper Hills had at least three goals in each of its first six contests, had four goals in five of those games and scored at least five goals on four occasions during this stretch.

A big reason for the improvements has been the addition of some talented newcomers and the rise of other younger players. First-year head coach Justin Hendrix is impressed with what he has seen so far.

“I think our strength is that we play as a team,” he said. “There is no one player trying to score all of the goals, get all the glory. We have unselfish teammates who are just as excited to get an assist as they are to score a goal. I think in past years, we lacked that. It was maybe one or two players trying to do too much. This year, the girls trust one another and are united in a singular focus and objective.”

Freshman Camila Palafox, whom Hendrix called “a dynamic playmaker,” has been a welcome addition to the team. Through six games, she was tied for second on the team in goals with seven and second in assists with six. Returning All-Region forward Brenna Arauzo, a junior, is the team’s leading scorer so far, having amassed eight goals in the first six games. She also paced the Grizzlies with seven assists up to that point. Junior Sydney Torres and sophomore Josie Montejano have been excellent in the midfield at distributing the ball and controlling the pace of the game. Defensively, Copper Hills has been strong, too, and juniors Emmy Crowley and Valeria Ruiz have an-

chored that unit.

“[Arauzo] has play-making and goal-scoring abilities,” Hendrix said. “[Crowley] and [Ruiz] lead a defense looking to improve and shut down difficult region opponents.”

Hendrix knows that Copper Hills faces some big tests in region play, where some excellent opponents await. The Grizzlies have also had a few down years, but Hendrix is pleased with the progress the girls are making.

“We recognize we play in an extremely competitive region, and wins are hard to come by,” he said. “That said, we have high ambitions for our team and strive to be the best. Our objectives now are to play with the right attitude and effort. We haven't had the success on the field the past few years that

we would like. As a new head coach, the biggest challenge is changing that perspective and belief within our team. In the past, we lacked confidence, leadership and the determination to fight through adversity. We are working hard to establish a culture where players are focused, consistently giving their best effort and playing with high energy. Regardless of the score, we want to be recognized as a team that never stops fighting.”

Copper Hills defeated its first two region foes, including Bingham, which it beat 3-0 on Aug. 17. Palafox had two goals and an assist in that big victory. Miya Begay and Aspen Fraser combined for the shutout in the net.

“I love the energy and excitement the girls bring to our practices and our games,” Hendrix said. “They are hungry for success, and that attitude and effort is creating competitive practices and producing positive results on the field. I love knowing they will compete and play hard.”

Though the Grizzlies have started off on a winning note, there’s a lot of soccer left to play. Hendrix knows the players need to remain focused and come to work every day. Other factors need to play in their favor for the wins to continue.

“First and foremost, we need to stay healthy in key positions and improve defensively,” he said. “But most importantly, we need to be consistent in how we play—focused, high effort and high energy. If we can consistently play the right way, success on the field will come.”

Hendrix also pointed out that last year’s players earned a collective 3.5 grade point average.

The regular season runs through Sept. 28 after the Grizzlies play every Region 3 opponent twice. The state tournament then begins. l

Last season, the Copper Hills girls soccer team won five of their 18 games. A third of the way through this season, the Grizzlies already exceeded that win total.

How one man overcame physical obstacles and moved on

By Linda Steele | l.steele@mycityjournals.com

When life dished out the hard balls, we can overcome them with perseverance. That is what Aaron Hutchinson did. His wife, Cari Hutchinson, was his biggest influence to help him get through this trial. “My wife was the one that pushed me into doing things,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson won fourth place in the EoS Fitness Submit Your Fit contest. He had ongoing pain from previous injuries and he had been through some surgeries that required physical therapy. He used fitness for rehabilitation purposes to become healthy both physically and mentally.

While he was visiting his son, daughter-in-law and new grandson back East, Hutchinson slipped and fell. He was carrying wood in from a truck back to the porch in a big rainstorm and ended up sliding off the end of the sidewalk, tearing tendons in his ankle. The torn tendons required surgery. The boot he was wearing to support his ankle after surgery threw his back out and ended up triggering some previous injuries from when he was in high school. Hutchinson knew that he had been living with injuries for a while. His back was getting so bad that he couldn’t stand, walk or go to work. Laying down was painful. “The only comfortable position I could get in was reclining in a chair,” he said. Hutchinson ended up having spinal fusion surgery on his back in May 2022. Part of his rehab, according to doctors, was that he needed to lose some weight. He was having some health issues associated with his heavier weight. He started physical therapy for his back and he was to a point that he could do a few things again. Hutchinson and his wife decided it was time to get with a personal trainer and start making improvements to get strength in his back and get his muscles moving again because he had some muscle atrophy due to inactivity for six months.

In November 2022 Hutchinson started working with EoS Fitness, working with personal trainer Starr Setterberg. “She's been spectacular, she got me going to the gym two to three days a week working out with her. At this point I can actually pick things up and walk. To begin with, coming off the back surgery and walking from my bed to the bathroom was extremely painful. Now I am able to walk a few miles at a time. Still not totally pain free, but I can do it,” he said.

In addition to the physical pain and immobility, Hutchinson was also dealing with some depression. “I feel so much better now, I look forward to going to the gym, instead of dreading having to do some activity,” he said. He looks forward to doing things with his grandchildren now, whereas

he could barely pick them up before. Now he is able to carry his one-year-old grandson on his shoulders without any pain.

The biggest drive to get Hutchinson through this trial, besides his wife, was the disgust he felt by letting himself get to the point where he couldn’t do anything. He was always athletic in high school and college and very mobile and could do things. He realized he missed riding his bike, being able to pick things up, do things in his woodshop. Those were the things that made him happy, and a complete person. He used the feelings of the things he missed as motivation. “Once you start seeing a little bit of weight come off, the pants and shirts start fitting differently, that is great motivation as well. I don’t focus on numbers on the scale, I focus on how I am feeling, how my body reacts to my workouts and regular activities,” he said. A big motivator was that he wanted to be able to do things again.

“I probably would have never gone to a personal trainer if it wasn’t for my wife. She was able to get me to recognize that even though it is spendy sometimes, it is my life I am working on,” he said.

Hutchinson has a lot of feelings about this journey he has been on. When he was going through his physical pain with his back problems, it was hard for him to get motivated to get up and do anything because it was a big ordeal, and he didn’t want to be in pain. “I wanted to find a comfortable position and just stay there,” he said. It would completely exhaust him to walk up eight stairs. He couldn't see a way out of it because the pain was constant.

Now the biggest pain he has is sore muscles. He works out and he can feel it for a couple of days which is a good motivator for him, because he would not have been

Aaron Hutchinson holding his hard earned, well deserved poster (Courtesy EoS Fitness )

Aaron Hutchinson before and after pictures (Courtesy EoS Fitness)

I probably would have never gone to a personal trainer if it wasn’t for my wife. She was able to get me to recognize that even though it is spendy sometimes, it is my life I am working on.

Aaron Hutchinson

able to do his workout a year ago.

“A year ago at this point I was still struggling to walk down the hall. Carrying anything was impossible. I couldn’t help my wife carry the groceries in, I couldn’t do the laundry. I couldn’t do any of that,” he said. Hutchinson gets great motivation from his wife and family without fighting against it like he did before. When he started working out, he started with minor weight resistance and stretching. Now he can do deadlift squats and bench press. “My trainer I used is spectacular, because she has always checked my progress and asked if the exercise is working for me, and if it is causing pain from a muscle perspective or if I’m feeling pain from my surgery points.”

A lot of the weight techniques and the proper form that Hutchinson has learned at EoS has helped him with proper technique, and he can fine tune his workout so he doesn’t hurt himself. His goal is to get himself strong and fit enough so that he doesn’t need to worry about getting injured if he takes a misstep on a trail. “There is still some work to go, but I just feel so much better than I did before, it's not even comparable,” he said.

“I'm grateful to share the opportunity about my story, not only with EoS people, or the fitness contest, but it was great that the national contest people gave me good feedback. It is great to recognize people at

the gym and let other people know even though you are down and out physically, and you don’t feel like you can do anything, there are a couple of first steps and they don’t have to be huge steps,” Hutchinson said.

Submit Your Fit is an annual contest. EoS Fitness invites their gym members to explain and write about their fitness and wellness stories. It is a great opportunity for members to share inspirational stories about their journey in overcoming obstacles, and it builds a lot of community.

“Not only were my wife and my trainers a huge help. My employer Northern Utah Academy of Math Engineer and Science has been absolutely understanding. That's a big thing because I was able to take the time off to go to my therapy, which got me to the point where I could go to my personal trainer,” Hutchinson said.

“Our members continue to inspire us through their unwavering drive, determination and commitment to self-improvement,” Kalen Adams said, regional vice president of fitness at EoS Fitness. “EoS is proud to celebrate the transformational fitness journeys of each of our winners. We recognize the dedication and contributions made by our gym and team members here in Utah. Aaron’s story is a reminder that regardless of the challenge at hand, you have the ability to take control of your own well-being.” l

New plaza opens at Jordan Landing

The newly renovated entertainment plaza and children’s park at Jordan Landing (7301 S. Jordan Landing Blvd.) opened on Aug. 19 with free activities, live music, vendors and the chance to win a $500 Jordan Landing shopping spree.

Located east of the Cinemark movie theater, the new plaza is a gathering place for people to enjoy music, entertainment and connection.

Virtual Study for Asthma

Jordan community,” David Harvey said, president and managing director of Fairbourne Properties which owns and operates Jordan Landing. “We have created a space for family-friendly entertainment and a children’s play area that we believe enhances Jordan Landing as the location in the area to shop and dine. We expect to use this newly renovated space in a variety of ways for people to gather.”l

“Families are at the heart of the West

BE A MEDICAL HERO! JOIN A STUDY TODAY.

KANYOS BIO - CELIAC DISEASE:

This is a two-part study is for adults 18 -70 years old. Which part you are put in will determine how long you will be in the study. It can be either 56 days or 58 weeks long. You must have a diagnosis of Celiac Disease either by a positive celiac serology test or a biopsy and have followed a gluten-free diet for at least 12 months to qualify.

HORIZON - UNCONTROLLED GOUT:

This is a four-part study for adults 18 years and older and can be up to 45 weeks long. You will have 18 visits and you will come to the clinic at least 11 times for blood draws. These visits will be 48 hours before you have the infusion, you will have infusions every week for 22 weeks, and they can take up to 2-3 hours. There is one phone call 30 days after your last infusion. You must have uncontrolled gout defined as meeting the following criteria: (a) you must have an elevated level of uric acid (b) you must maintain the serum acid with Allopurinol at the maximum medically appropriate dose of 300 mg, or with intolerable side effects meaning it didn’t work for you based on medical records or the subject informing us the Allopurinol didn’t work. You must also have one of the following symptoms of gout: The presence of at least one tophus (uric acid builds up around your joints) recurrent flares are defined as 2 or more flares in the past 12 months, or the presence of chronic gouty arthritis.

BATURA AVILLION ASTHMA:

The BATURA Study is now enrolling participants 12 years and older for an asthma research study.

You may qualify for this clinical research study if you:

• Are 12 years of age and older*

• Have had a clinical diagnosis of asthma by a healthcare professional

• Are actively using short-acting beta-agonist inhalers (as-needed rescue inhaler, such as albuterol) to control or reduce asthma symptoms, alone or in combination with either low-dose inhaled corticosteroid (Flovent® , Pulmicort® , or Asmanex®) or leukotriene inhibitor montelukast (Singulair), zileuton (Zyflo®), or zafirlukast (Accolate®)

• Meet additional study criteria

*Parental consent is required for individuals under 18 years of age.

This study is for children 12 years and older who have a diagnosis of Asthma from a prescribing healthcare provider. We will need documentation of diagnosis from medical records or a letter from your child’s physician. You must be capable of signing and understanding the eICF (including assent with parental/legal guardian consent for children ages 12 - 17 years old). Your child must be actively using a SABA (short-acting beta antagonist) alone or SABA on a background of either low-dose ICS (inhaled corticosteroids) or a LTRA (Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists such as Accolate, Montelukast, Singulair, and Zafirlukast. This study is 52 weeks long with 8 virtual visits. You will get paid $50 for each completed visit, and you will make a total of $400 for the study. You and or your child will be required to use the Science 37 app, which can be downloaded on your phone.

PFIZER CHILD LYME DISEASE VACCINE: This study is for healthy children or children that have stable pre-existing chronic medical conditions. This is a study for children 5 to 17 years old. Children and their parents must be able to attend all appointments and phone calls. This study is 2 years long; there are 6 clinic visits and you will get paid $116 for each, as well as $116 for any unscheduled visits. There are 2 phone calls, and you will get $25 (parents or guardians will get this money) for each of those phone calls, and there is a weekly ediary that you will get paid $10 for upon completion. Parents will get $87.75 for any TeleHealth visits. This study is a 4-dose series; you will get your first 3 doses at your first appointment, your next dose during month 2 and month 3, and then your last dose at 18 months.

This research study is enrolling. Learn more.

3590

Please join us for a FREE Community Grief Support Presentation

Understanding Grief: Caring for Yourself, Caring for Others

Thursday, September 14, 2023

6:45–8pm

Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary

1950 East Dimple Dell Road, Sandy, Utah

SPEAKER

William G. (Bill) Hoy, PH.D., FT Author

Educator

Grief Counselor

Chaplain

Bereavement is not about “recovery,” but rather, about finding renewed life. The basic task for a bereaved person is to learn to live in a radically–changed world that no longer includes the physical relationship with our loved one. In this practical, community workshop, Dr. Bill Hoy will help bereaved people and those who care for them understand the practical steps to take charge of their grief and live again, even in the aftermath of incredible sorrow. For those in attendance who are curious about how to help, there will be ample ideas for the practical things to say and do (as well as to not say and do!).

During the workshop, we’ll find answers together to questions like:

• What simple actions can I take now to get my life back on track?

• Is what I’m feeling and seeing normal?

• How do I deal with well–meaning friends and their unwanted advice?

• The holidays are coming; what in the world are we going to do without them?

This event is complimentary of Larkin Mortuary and registration is not required.

For more information, call (801) 571-2771

West Jordan girls tennis team excited to compete in new region

By Josh McFadden

After being a part of Class 6A since its inception in 2017, West Jordan High School is moving down to Class 5A for its sports this season. For the girls tennis team, it’s a welcome change.

Last year, the Jaguars went up against Mountain Ridge, Riverton, Copper Hills, Herriman and Bingham in Region 3. This season, the Jaguars are in Region 4 with opponents Kearns, Taylorsville, Cyprus, Granger and Hunter. The makeup evens the field more, giving the West Jordan girls tennis team confidence that it can be one of the top teams in the league.

“As the season gets underway, we are very excited for our region matches,” head coach Cody Taylor said. “We are looking forward to being very competitive with our region this season.

But winning isn’t the only thing Taylor is focusing on. To him, the most important aspect of the game and the experience if for the players to enjoy themselves and have a memorable time playing together and being with one another.

“We expect our team to be very competitive within our region this year,” he said. “More than that, we expect our girls to have a good time this season. Obviously, we want our team to do well and win some matches, but what we really want is to have some fun and give these girls a great experience.”

Whether the Jaguars are one of the top squads in Region 4 remains to be seen. Taylor, though, is certain his girls will never be short on hard work or having the right attitudes.

“I have a great team with incredible grit,” Taylor said. “Every time we hit the court for a match, I am confident each of my girls will give 100% effort and play with their hearts.”

The Jaguars are a senior-laden team. Five of the seven varsity starters are 12th graders. Leading the way is senior Heidi Pfeiffer at first singles. Second singles starter

Abby Phillips is also a senior. At third singles, Taylor will rely on senior Emma Lewis. The doubles teams are critical to the team’s success. Seniors Molly Dulgarian and Amelia Henderson are in the first doubles slot. The only non-seniors starting on the varsity team are juniors Shaylin Starks and Annie Bateman, who play at second doubles.

The tennis season starts early, before school even begins for the year and goes through the end of September when the state tournament takes place. The season can be long and often includes matches in the heat of the day. This can be a challenge for the players. Taylor impressed with how the girls manage long games under tough conditions, including when they face tough competition.

“Some of the greatest challenge we have faced this season is the length of some of our matches and the heat of the summer,” he said. “We have great opponents this season, and it is very competitive, which means we play long matches and generally matches happen in the heat of the day. Some of my athletes have played matches for three-plus hours. I am constantly inspired by my athletes’ determination and ability to dig deep and play with everything they have. We also ensure that our health and safety are the top priority. My girls have done a great job of taking initiative to provide snacks and drinks for each of the matches, which allows us to make sure our team is well nourished and hydrated to play in these long matches.”

It has been many years since the Jaguars have scored points at state. For the team to reach this goal and continually improve, Taylor said the players need to focus on the moment and take things in small steps.

“To be successful this season, we just need to stay positive and play one point, one match at a time,” he said. “Really, all we need to do is play our game and have fun. I believe if we allow the game to be fun, success will follow.” l

Supporting Our Police Force for a Safer Community

In a recent national study, a concerning trend has come to light within our police departments. Law Enforcement agencies across the country are facing challenges in recruiting new officers, and what's more, a growing number of officers are opting to leave their positions or retire earlier than expected (Source: Police Executive Research Forum).

We know that when a police force is stretched thin, struggling to respond promptly to emergencies and investigate crimes, it impacts our community’s safety. The heart of effective policing lies in the experience and expertise of our officers. If we find ourselves with a shortage of seasoned officers, it could affect the quality of training, decision-making, and overall effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

The life of a police officer is anything but easy. They face a multitude of demands, carrying the weight of public expectations on their shoulders. Every day, they confront challenging, and sometimes heart-wrenching, situations. It's important to recognize that amidst the stress, many officers are driven by a genuine desire to make a positive impact in their communities. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that prolonged exposure to stressors can take a toll on their mental well-being, leading to burnout and other health issues. We must stand together to support their journey toward mental wellness.

Aimee Winder Newton Salt Lake County Councilwoman| District 3

As a society, it is our responsibility to treat our police officers with empathy and respect. While constructive feedback is valuable, it's equally important to remember that the weight of their responsibilities can impact their mental health. Demonstrating appreciation and understanding will go a long way in boosting their morale and overall well-being.

Police officers are not just symbols in uniform – they are individuals with families, emotions, and aspirations. The pressures they face on the job can ripple into their personal lives, affecting their relationships and overall happiness. Recognizing their humanity and the toll their profession takes on their mental health enables us to build a community that truly values those who safeguard us.

Challenges police officers endure are immense, often exposing them to traumatic events and high-stress situations. Research indicates that police officers are more suscepti-

ble to mental health struggles compared to the general population.

As a united community, we can make a difference by offering support for the emotional well-being of our police officers. Express your gratitude for their dedication and support programs focusing on mental health training for both officers and the public. Educate yourself and those around you about recognizing

signs of mental health issues and providing a compassionate hand.

By standing together, we can ignite a positive transformation. Let's prioritize the mental well-being of our law enforcement officers, ensuring they have the necessary support and resources to thrive personally and professionally. In doing so, we fortify our police force, cultivating safer and stronger communities for all.

“ Robert and Mark were great! We had pipes burst at night and they were right there to help us get the water shut off and to help us get all the water out and dried. They were both professional, communication was great and they were thorough.I would recommend them to anyone! ” —Anna D

Deep Copper Hills girls tennis team facing challenging region in 2023

By Josh McFadden | j.mcfadden@mycityjournals.com

Region realignments have put the Copper Hills girls tennis team in a league with some talented new opponents. The Grizzlies are welcoming the challenge.

Previously competing in Class 6A’s Region 3, Copper Hills is now part of Region 2. The Grizzlies are still facing usual suspects Herriman, Mountain Ridge, Bingham and Riverton. But they now have new region foe Corner Canyon.

Copper Hills has more depth this season than in years past, as more girls went out for the team. This is a good sign for the program, as the coaches now have more options at both the varsity and junior varsity levels.

“We have a larger team, and in turn that means less girls get to play on the JV and varsity squad,” assistant coach Kaycee Story said. “But that hasn’t seemed to deter the girls from doing their best every day. In fact, I would say that it has sparked more and more competition with the girls and has made them better altogether in their match play.”

First singles player Paige Pack, a senior, is perhaps the team’s top player. Juniors Annie Elzinga and Gretta Clayton are the first doubles tandem. Story

has high hopes for them this season. As a whole, the team excels in the basics of the game.

TAP INTO A

have different styles and knowledges of the game, but collectively they have a very strong understanding of tennis.”

Though Copper Hills has a new region and a new opponent, the goals remain the same. The team has historically fared well in region play and competed respectively in the postseason. Story is optimistic that the same will be true this season.

“I think this team has the potential to do really well in an especially tough region,” she said. “We have always been competitive and sportsmanlike, and that expectation remains the same.”

This year’s squad had to replace some key players from the 2022 team, meaning there are some new faces and less experienced competitors to plug into the lineups. Still, Story likes the blend of returning starters and newcomers.

The Grizzlies will compete in region action throughout the season before participating in the state tournament at Liberty Park Sept. 28, 30. To have success this season, Story said a positive attitude and enthusiasm will be critical.

“The fundamentals I believe are our strongest points in our overall team,” Story said. “I mean, obviously different girls

“Collectively, we need to have a high energy and spirit within the team during practices and matches,” she said. l

NeuroStar is like physical therapy for the brain. It uses magnetic pulses, similar in strength to MRI, to reignite dormant connections in the brain and give you control of your depression. With NeuroStar, you can live on your terms.

“I had taken 11 different medications without any relief… NeuroStar treatment has helped me bring my life back with a happiness that I’ve never experienced before” ~TODD

The Copper Hills girls tennis team is aiming to compete well in Region with a larger group of players than usual. (Photo courtesy of Kaycee Story)

Last month, I watched the neighborhood kids trudge back to school. Hunched under the weight of heavy backpacks, the little Quasimodos marched into the school year carrying a 300-page summer homework packet, an associate’s degree they earned at math camp, 750 colored pencils, scissors, an emotional support stuffed animal, cleaning products, a mass spectrometer, a non-BPA bento box and some allergen-free crackers.

When I attended elementary school in the 1900s, we didn’t use backpacks. They hadn’t been invented. It was too cumbersome to drag our handcart to school, so we carried our math, history, language, science, reading and social studies books home in our arms every night.

Most kids didn’t fail because they didn’t understand the homework, they failed because they were too weak to carry 50 pounds of textbooks.

Parents and educators set the bar for us at “extremely low” and we were lucky to hit that. One of my biggest challenges came in fourth grade when I started the school year wearing homemade avocado-green culottes. And it got worse. My Bionic Woman lunchbox had an unreliable latch, so I spent lunchtime worrying my PB&J would fall onto the floor and

Getting Schooled

Peri Kinder

Life and Laughter

everyone would laugh.

Not sure if I learned anything that year.

The motto at the elementary school near my home is “Academically smart, character strong.” I don’t think my school had a motto, unless it was “Sit down and shut up.” It wasn’t that our teachers didn’t care, they just thought “quiet reading time” or “rest your heads on your desks” was the best way to spend the majority of our day.

But that first day of school was always exciting. New school supplies had to be arranged carefully in my desk, including a brand new cardboard pencil box with a built-in pencil sharpener that was never sharp enough to create a point. It just mangled the top of my pencils, leaving a broken lead I kept pushing back into place.

And, of course, there had to be space

for my colorful hoppy taw, for hopscotch, and a bag of cat’s-eyes so I could shoot marbles at recess. Not real cat’s eyes. I’m not that old.

My grandson is in sixth grade, taking classes like flight science, robotics and computer engineering. When I was in sixth grade, we wrapped eggs in styrofoam and threw them off the school roof.

#Science

Luckily for today’s hard-working students, they get vacation days all the time. They’re off for Burning Man and Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest and (ironically) International Literacy Day. In the 1970s, we had Christmas Day off and a half-day for Thanksgiving. We didn’t even miss school for being sick. We just took our pneumonia-filled lungs to class and hoped we didn’t die during recess.

I’m not saying elementary school was better in the 20th century. It wasn’t. Not at all. If we could eat with a spoon in kindergarten, we would be at the top of the class. Kids who knew the difference between a letter and a number were named class president. Our role models were Bugs Bunny and the Muppets, so we were trained early in sarcasm.

Kids are so much smarter now than we ever were. I’m amazed at what my grandkids learn. I have a 7-year-old granddaughter learning Spanish and a 6-year-old granddaughter building LEGO robots. When I was their age, my biggest challenge was learning cat’s cradle. I guess the content in those heavy backpacks is paying off.

“Dozens of doctors told me that there was nothing more that they could do to expect to be in a wheel chair. I went from the top 1% in the army Special Forces to being in so much pain that I could not tie my shoe or hold my new daughter. I did physical therapy and pain killers for years, but nothing worked. Finally, I went to Dr. Smith and I improved exactly as he told me I would. I couldn’t believe it! My wife cried, “I have my husband back.”

—Steve M., Army Special Forces

CSCS Chiropractic Physician