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Episode 242: Students Rockin’ the Stage at Copper Canyon Elementary School Apr 25, 2024

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They are having fun, singing their hearts out, and really rockin’ it, taking the stage at Copper Canyon Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, meet 6th grade students who make up the cast of ‘School House Rock Jr.’ and find out how their Beverley Taylor Sorenson teacher is helping them to bring down the house during their performances of the energetic show. Audio Transcription [music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are having fun singing their hearts out and really rocking it, taking the stage at Copper Canyon Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, meet sixth grade students who make up the cast of Schoolhouse Rock Jr. and find out how their Beverly Taylor Sorensen teacher is helping them bring down the house during their performances of this energetic show. [music] We're here at Copper Canyon this morning with our BTS Theater Specialist and a few cast members for the production that is underway right now. Thank you very much for spending time with us. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what's going on. Sheri Harrington:My name is Sheri Harrington and I am the Beverly Taylor Sorensen Learning Arts Specialist here at Copper Canyon Elementary. We feel very privileged and honored to have you here. We were surprised at it. So we are getting ready to perform this week the production of Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. We've been practicing this since October. It is a musical based on– a lot of parents might remember when they were young on Saturday mornings– the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons. I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill. Anthony Godfrey:And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill if I'm not mistaken. Sheri Harrington:Yes, see what you learned from it. Anthony Godfrey:I do remember, yes I did. Sheri Harrington:Conjunction, junction, what's your function? And so what I love about this musical, Anthony Godfrey:Picking up wood and freezes and clauses. Sheri Harrington:See, you remember that from how long ago? Anthony Godfrey:Did I get it right? Sheri Harrington:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. Sheri Harrington:And how long has it been since you have heard that song? Anthony Godfrey:Well, let's talk about that. It's been a very, very long time. Decades, many decades. Back in the 1900s girls when I was listening to that. Sheri Harrington:Way back in the 1900s. Anthony Godfrey:So what made you pick this particular production that stirs so many memories for me and for some others? Now our elementary parents are a little bit young to remember some of this, which is a jarring fact for me to embrace this early in the morning. Sheri Harrington:Yes, me too. Some of them remember them and are familiar with them. But of course a lot of them are a little young. Anthony Godfrey:Even the concept of Saturday morning cartoons where cartoons were contained to one part of one day of the week, as opposed to being continually available. Sheri Harrington:Right. Anthony Godfrey:Even that concept is a little bit foreign to most people at this point. Sheri Harrington:Right. Well, one reason I chose this musical was because it integrates theater with all of our core subjects. The musical covers social studies and math and science and language arts. So it's not just a singing, dancing, fun musical. It's a musical that teaches students about conjunctions. It teaches students about how it works as a bill on Capitol Hill. Anthony Godfrey:Now it is a singing, dancing, fun experience. Sheri Harrington:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:But there is that side benefit of having some things burned into your brain. Sheri Harrington:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:That are really essential and really important about government and grammar and everything in between. Sheri Harrington:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:What is a favorite song of yours in this production? Sheri Harrington:My very favorite number is called "The Great American Melting Pot." And I actually get teary-eyed every time I watch it. I would get teary-eyed in front of the students as I was teaching them the song because it's a song that talks about – In fact, I have the lyrics right here. It talks about how America accepts immigrants and you simply melt right in. It doesn't matter what your skin. It doesn't matter where you're from or your religion. You jump right in. "The Great American Melting Pot." And in this number, we have -- there's about 25 kids on stage and they're all holding a different flag, a big world flag from countries all over the world. And they sing this beautiful song. I've got one of the soloists here. Both are soloists. That's right. And so two at a time, they put their world flags in this big melting pot and they shake hands. And after all of the world flags are put into this melting pot, we pull out a big, giant American flag and wave the American flag with our hands over our hearts. It makes me teary-eyed talking about it right now. It's just, to me, that's so beautiful. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me, what are the experiences that you hope students get from being a part of this? Sheri Harrington:Well, you know, when we first decided to do a musical here, it's been at least 10 years since Copper Canyon Elementary has done a musical. And when we first -- my principal, Patty Bowen, asked if I would do a play, and it could have been a play. I chose a musical. I have a musical theater background and love singing and dancing. At first it was going to be an audition basis with the sixth-grade students being able to audition for the show. And when I introduced the show to the sixth graders and asked how many of them were interested, at first there were very few because they're sixth graders. And especially the boys were like, "I'm not going to sing and dance. I don't want to -- you know? No, this is embarrassing." So we decided that we were going to make it non-optional, the entire sixth grade. There was some resistance from some of the students who, you know, have never danced and don't sing. And to do something like this in front of people, you know, they were none too happy about it at the beginning. However, the more we've done it, the longer we've done it, they've really started to enjoy it. I've had students who, at the beginning, said, "Can I just be on stage crew? Can I just be a tree?" And slowly, one at a time, they came forward and said, "Miss Sheri, can I sing the song? Can I say these lines? I would like to do it." And now the kids are fighting over, "No, I want to do it. I want to do it." I actually heard a comment the other day, some boys behind the curtain, and they literally said, "You know, I didn't want to do this at first, but it's actually really fun." And I was like, "Yes!" Anthony Godfrey:They thought the curtain was protecting them from being exposed to actually enjoying the singing and dancing. Well, that's great. What I love is that you're giving them experiences that they didn't really know they had in them, finding some abilities that they didn't realize were nestled deep within. Sheri Harrington:And most of them will probably not go on. Anthony Godfrey:Sure, it doesn't mean that they're going to be on Broadway. Sheri Harrington:Some of them might. I have some very talented young ladies here today. But, you know, whether this is the first and only musical they do, or whether this is one of many, I have witnessed these students become so much more confident over the last several months. All of them, actually, you know, just more confident in their abilities to perform in front of others, to speak in front of others. We work on projection a lot. I don't let the students depend on microphones, even though we do have microphones to assist their voice. I really think it's important for students to learn how to project their voice and talk loud enough for whatever audience they're talking in front of. So we've worked on that, and students who have, you know, a naturally quiet voice have learned how to speak louder. And I think that right there is a very important skill to learn in life. Anthony Godfrey:Absolutely. It's an unforgettable experience with some skills that will carry them for a long time. Up next, sixth-grade students in the cast of Schoolhouse Rock Junior talk about their roles and how much fun they are having performing this musical. Break:Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect. Anthony Godfrey:Well, let's talk with some of the stars of Schoolhouse Rock Junior Live. Introduce yourself and tell us what grade you're in. Nadia:I'm Nadia, and I'm in sixth grade. Emma:I'm Emma, and I'm in sixth grade. Brynli:I'm Brynli, and I'm in sixth grade. Rory:I'm Rory, and I'm in sixth grade. Anthony Godfrey:You were all giving sixth-grade vibes. I just have to be sure, you know. So tell me, what has it been like being in this performance for you? Nadia:It's been really fun, actually. I love to do my song, to dance. Like, performing is fun. Yeah, it's just been really fun. Emma:I also would say it's been really fun and kind of like an amazing adventure to go on. Because when I started sixth grade, I was like, this is mostly going to be like the hardest year of elementary school. And then we started the play, and it felt like it was just so much fun. Brynli:I also think it was fun. So, at the very start, I guess, I wanted to be in it, but like not actually sing or dance. But then, when the whole sixth grade is doing it, I still got cast as a singer. So, I guess, the more that I sang, the fun it was. Sheri Harrington:She's amazing. They're all amazing. I can't believe, I had no idea the talent of some of these students. I'm so proud of them. Rory:I think it was a lot of fun and exciting to be on such an exciting play, and getting to dance and have fun with other of my friends. And it was just a lot of fun being with them. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about your favorite part of your performance. What do you do in the production, and what's your favorite part? Rory:I like being with my friends and being able to have a fun time learning them and performing them after. One of my favorite songs is "Interjections” or “Nouns." And they're both the very first or last song, but they're really fun to do. Anthony Godfrey:Interjection. Yes. Students sing:Or emotion. They're generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point, or by comma when the feeling’s not as strong. Anthony Godfrey:Once you start, you can't stop. It feels good. That's awesome. How about for you? What's your favorite? Brynli:My favorite song is "Interjections," because I have a microphone on that one. Sheri Harrington:She's a soloist. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, great. How about for you? Emma:My favorite song probably has to be “Nouns”, because I feel like it's kind of a really fun number. And it gets you to know the teacher and all of the ideas that go along inside her mind. And also because I sing it, and I think it's really fun. Nadia:Oh, my bad. Anthony Godfrey:Go ahead. Nadia:My favorite songs are "Interjections" and "Unpack Your Adjectives," because I sing in that one. And "Interjections," I just love the emotions and the dance moves. It's just really like high energy. Anthony Godfrey:And introduce yourself and tell us what your favorite song is to perform. Sheri Harrington:Oh, hi, Nephi. Nephi:Hi. My name is Nephi Vilifiti, and my favorite song for the play is "Three is the Magic Number." Anthony Godfrey:Oh, yes, “Three is a Magic Number.” I remember that now. You guys are stirring things way back in the cobwebs. That's pretty awesome. What do you like about that song? Nephi:I'm the father, and I have to pick up Elone. Sheri Harrington:We have about 95 students in the show, and so most of them have done the practicing and the rehearsal during their theater rotation times. However, the soloists come very early in the morning, and they're here by 7.50. So – school starts at 8.35? Students:8.55. Sheri Harrington:8.55. So, you know, they're here almost an hour early. And Nephi shows up every day very early just to say, you know, "Ms. Sheri, what can I do to help you get ready for rehearsal this morning?" So I've just been impressed with the dedication and the hard work from these students. They really have worked hard. Rory plays the part of the teacher. There are ten musical numbers in this show with some dialogue in between each number, and Rory literally is on stage from the beginning to the end. She dances every musical number and sings every number, and she doesn't stop. She doesn't get a break. Rory:Well, I don't do “American Melting Pot”, I just sit on the stage. Sheri Harrington:Yeah, I gave her a break. But you're there. Anthony Godfrey:So are there particular teachers that you've known over the years that you're kind of channeling and using as inspiration when you try to play a teacher? Rory:Well, my mom's a dance teacher at Copper Hills. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, okay. Awesome. Rory:Yeah, so I know, and that's where I got my costume. She brought some of the things home from school because she has a lot of costumes that she doesn't use. So we've got a lot of things that we don't need. Anthony Godfrey:That's awesome. What is it like being in a production in sixth grade like this? Nadia:At first, it was kind of like embarrassing because I don't really like to perform in front of other people. But I mean, when I got cast to the role to sing, I just decided, like, okay, I'm going to sing so I can't be nervous anymore. And during this, I've gotten more confidence. So I think I might join some more plays or musicals over time. Anthony Godfrey:Great. Emma:Well, it's kind of like Nadia said. I got a lot more confident with this because I don't know. It just helps me feel like I can perform on stage without being nervous. Nephi:Very embarrassing because, like, whenever I got put to be the dad for “Three is the Magic Number”, I felt really nervous because, like, “Oh, what if I drop Elone? What if he doesn't run into me?” Or like, “Oh, what if I just let him go or something?” And that, like, made me scared because there's, like, more than 400 people that's coming and, like, I can't mess up. So then I practiced with my little brother. So it's easier now. Sheri Harrington:What Nephi is talking about is in this number, he plays a dad and one of the other sixth-grade boys plays a baby. And so at the end of this number, the sixth-grade boy, this other one, Elone, runs and jumps in Nephi's arms. So Nephi has to catch him. And so he was worried about dropping him. But he's doing a great job. I cast him as a dad because I knew he was very strong and he could do it. Anthony Godfrey:All right. Stand up. Give me kind of a dad stance. Show me how you -- wow. That is good dad energy right there. That's really good. You guys, you all, all five of you have some real poise and the confidence really comes through just a…

Full show notes at the publisher

Episode 241: Bucket Drummers Bring Music to Life at Mountain Point Elementary School Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

They are becoming some of the best young bucket drummers around with a beat all their own.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet members of the Percussion Club at Mountain Point Elementary School and find out how they are making music come alive from around the world with a bunch of five-gallon plastic buckets, flipped upside down, turned into drums.

Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are becoming some of the best young bucket drummers around with a beat all their own.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet members of the Percussion Club at Mountain Point Elementary School and find out how they are making music from around the world come alive with a bunch of 5-gallon plastic buckets flipped upside down and turned into drums.

We're at Mountain Point Elementary School early this morning to talk about the Percussion Club. Introduce yourselves, tell me about your connection to the Percussion Club, and then we'll talk to students.

Angie Garrido:
Hi, my name is Angie Garrido. I started this club here at Mountain Point Elementary three years ago, so I'm just excited to be here with you this morning.

Mrs. Hammer:
Hi, my name is Mrs. Hammer. I am the fourth-grade teacher here at Mountain Point, and I've been helping Maestro Garrido for two years now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maestro Garrido, you used to teach here, and now you are a DLI coordinator at the district. Tell me about that position.

Maestra Garrido:
Yeah, so I arrived to Jordan School District three years ago. I was offered a position as a first-grade Spanish teacher to start the program here at Mountain Point, and now I am helping the DLI teachers in the district and in the state to just to be better DLI teachers.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. We love that you're here and that you now are playing this new role and that you have continued with the Percussion Club. Tell me what made you want to start the Percussion Club. My son has played percussion since seventh grade and he absolutely loves it, so I know the appeal, but tell me why you wanted to do this here.

Maestra Garrido:
So everything started in 2018. I was in another school district, and I attended BYU Arts Express, which is an event that teaches art instruction. I attended a session with a lady and she was doing percussion, but not with buckets like we do, but with bowls like those huge yoga bowls, and I was like, I want to do this. I didn't know if we had the money, so I did a little bit of research and I found this bucket drumming thing and I was like, “oh, we can afford this.”

Anthony Godfrey:
There’s a bucket drumming community, I guess.

Maestra Garrido:
Yes, yes. So I presented the plan to my principal back then and he loved the idea, so yeah, that's how it started. So our first performance was in 2019, so this is the sixth year of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So a whole set of students has come through doing this. Tell me about your involvement, Mrs. Hammer.

Mrs. Hammer:
Well, the first year that we had percussion here at Mountain Point, I was just on the sidelines and I was watching and I just really enjoyed the upbeat music and the things that Maestra Garrido has even put together. And so I just decided, “hey, can I help out?” It was at the end of the first year that she had finished and I'm like, “can I help out next year, please?” And so she's like, “absolutely.”

So I did it last year and you just get into the movement and the beat of the music. And so I just wanted to continue it. You see the smile and the enthusiasm that she gives, and I give, and then the kids all bring together and the performance when we do it at the end of the year is just amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the level of participation from students. Has that changed over the last six years that we've been doing it here?

Mrs. Hammer:
It really has. I think that the first year we had probably like 50 students and now we have what, 90?

Maestra Garrido:
Yeah, we have around 90 students from kindergarten to sixth grade this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so it's all ages that get to come and do it. And how frequently do they come? What does the schedule look like?

Maestra Garrido:
We practice once a week for 30 minutes. So they have to come before school at 8.15 and then we practice until 8.45 until it's time to go to school.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. Tell me about the music selections. How do you decide what to play? I know there's a wide range of musical influences that you bring in to this activity.

Maestra Garrido:
So basically what I do is I select a theme for the year and then I choose the music and plan what the students are going to be playing. I look for inspiration everywhere once I have a theme in my head. And then for example, the inspiration I look for is everywhere. Last year I performed, because I am a dancer, I performed in a fall dance festival. So one of the songs that we're doing this year is from France and France was one of the countries participating in the festival. So one of the things we're doing this year is influenced by that show that I saw last summer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Maestra Garrido:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you pick up influences everywhere you go.

Maestra Garrido:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're a dancer as well?

Maestra Garrido:
I am a dancer and I am a singer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your time as a dancer and singer.

Maestra Garrido:
So I started dancing classic ballet when I was four and then also did Polynesian dances. And then when I was in high school, I started dancing Mexican folklore dances. So that's what I'm still doing right now. I'm part of a group, a local group.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Your talents are wide-ranging and all involve rhythm. Tell me about your singing.

Maestra Garrido:
So I've been singing since I remember. My mom's family they all sing. So our family parties are karaoke nights basically. So I've been singing all my life basically.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you have a go-to karaoke song or do you have all kinds of karaoke songs?

Maestra Garrido:
I like different music styles, but now I am focusing more on Mexican songs, which is like my country, my roots.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Tell me your favorite Mexican karaoke song though.

Maestra Garrido:
Well, I've been recording like lately, like this week, "Acá Entre Nos" which is a very popular song in Mexico. I just recorded "Bésame Mucho" which is a very well-known song.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know "Bésame Mucho" yes. I do know that one.

Maestra Garrido:
Yeah. And yeah, there's a variety of songs that I have been practicing lately.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was the first one?

Maestra Garrido:
"Acá Entre Nos"

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. I'm going to have you help me find that on Spotify.

Maestra Garrido:
Okay. I will.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. My go-to, in case you were wondering, is either "Totally Eclipse of the Heart" or "Johnny B. Goode". So I think you and I need to be on the stage at the same time. I think we could really bring it.

Maestra Garrido:
Let's plan on it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. So you sing, you dance and you do percussion in the morning. What do you hope that students get out of this experience?

Maestra Garrido:
One of the things that I like the most about this club is that they get to have fun because I mean they have buckets, they have drumsticks and they just enjoy. But obviously like I am expecting them to work on their timing, their rhythm. This activity is also like very stress relieving. So it's just a fun activity to do after school. And I think like I personally feel so happy after it and I am hoping the students are feeling happy too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can witness in my own family the stress release that occurs when you bang on something. My son plays – when he plays the drums in a certain way I can tell, all right, he is stressed out and he is relieving that stress through the drums. What impact have you seen on students as they have participated?

Mrs. Hammer:
Well, the great thing about Percussion Club is that you don't have to have that musical talent. You just need to know like the beat and everything. So even if you are not in choir or orchestra or even band you can still do it. And like this year we had started our kindergarteners and they are following along. You know and that's a big key for children in elementary school is just to follow directions. So having that inspiration for them that they can grow that musical talent that they may have deep down inside.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would guess there is a real sense of unity also that comes from playing together with a group of 90 students of varying ages because students aren't always interacting sixth grade and kindergarten and the lower grades. But you have everyone together, probably some siblings, and they all feel a part of something.

Mrs. Hammer:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back the Percussion Club performs and we have a fantastic front-row seat.

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk to some students about what it's been like to be a part of this. Introduce yourself, tell us your name and tell us what grade you're in.

Hallie:
Okay, I'm Hallie and I'm in third grade.

Elsie:
I'm Elsie and I'm in third grade.

Mason:
I'm Mason and I'm in fifth grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, tell me about how long you've been participating in the Percussion Club in the mornings. Hallie:
I've been participating for three years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Elsie:
Three years too.

Mason:
This is my second year.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you two third graders, you've been doing this half your life really, pretty much. So you already have a long career in percussion. What brings you back early in the morning? Why do you keep coming back? What do you love about this?

Hallie:
I love that we get to learn new songs and that we get to learn new rhythms and stuff like that.

Elsie:
I like that we get to inspire new songs like other songs that inspire other people.

Mason:
I like that we can get to be with our friends and have fun and even though if it's hard or anything we can still do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you do have to come early but I would imagine that it gives you a lot of energy to get to play the drums and bang out some percussion early in the morning. Now you all talked about how much fun it is to be with friends in the morning. Did you make some friends in Percussion Club that you didn't have before?

Mason:
I think I've talked to some but yeah.

Elsie:
Yeah, I have been friends with some people in Percussion.

Hallie:
Yeah, I've made friends in Percussion Club.

Anthony Godfrey:
Even if they walk to the beat of a different drum you guys have been able to connect with them. I like idiomatic expressions. Okay, so I have not been able to attend a performance yet but tell me about the reaction from parents and the expression on their faces when they get to see the result of all this work throughout the year.

Maestro Garrido:
Yeah so we have a performance for parents and we have one performance for students. So parents are just like so excited seeing their kids drumming even if they don't have a background in music as we have mentioned. So it's just exciting. One of the moms from last year she was like "Ms. Garrido, she's an angel" because she has like all the students with drumsticks and making noise and she has just the patience to tolerate that. And obviously for me it was just fun because I really enjoy having all the students playing and even if it's noisy at some point it's an organized noise if we can call it like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a joyous noise.

Maestra Garrido:
It is. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for you?

Mrs. Hammer:
Well, I am also a parent here at the school for my daughter that is in Percussion Club so it's nice to be together. But having an outside parent, so my husband, just witness all these students come together and play the music together in unison is like a standing ovation. I think we've had that and we've had probably if we could sell out we've sold out. Like it's packed every time.

Anthony Godfrey:
The arena is filled every time. I love it. That's awesome.

Maestra Garrido:
And one of the things is that we do this in a very short time like this year we have 19 practices planned for the season and we only practice 30 minutes a day and then we send a video home so that they can practice at home and so basically like they really learn these rhythms and the way we have to play very very fast. So it's impressive.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you so much for going to all this extra effort and making this incredible opportunity available for students. It's really fantastic.

Maestra Garrido:
Yeah, thank you for your time and for having us this morning. We are so honored to be here and be part of your podcast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you very much.

Mrs. Hammer:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now let's head into practice and let's hear you bang on those buckets.

[MUSIC]

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

[MUSIC]

Episode 240: Student Curiosity Comes Alive with Unique STEAM Program at Daybreak Elementary School Apr 11, 2024

Show notes

They are challenging young minds and making amazing “light bulb” moments a regular occurrence at Daybreak Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how teachers are blending Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math with a mix of the Arts, turning it into a full day of fun and learning that is sparking student curiosity and developing stronger thinking skills. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are challenging young minds and making amazing light bulb moments happen on a regular basis at Daybreak Elementary School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how teachers are blending Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math with a mix of the Arts, turning it into a full day of fun and learning that is sparking student curiosity and developing strong thinking skills. [Music] We're here at Daybreak Elementary to talk about their STEAM activity today. Introduce yourselves and tell us what's going on. Leslie Ewell:Great. I'm Leslie Ewell. I'm the principal here at Daybreak Elementary and with me is Amanda Williams. She's my instructional coach. We started this last year in the spring. It's a STEAM Explorer. We got the idea from an elementary school in St. George, Diamond Valley. They are a STEAM school and they do these rounds too. So I went down and visited and saw what they were doing and just loved it so much. So then I worked to create it here at our school. And so what happens is every teacher creates a four-week unit with 40-minute lessons on anything in the STEAM acronym, which is science, technology, engineering, art, or math or they can combine all of those things in that unit. They are required to have the engineering process in that unit, so to follow that. And they can choose anything they want. The teachers can choose anything they want to do within those boundaries. And then we create some slide shows. The kids see the slide shows and they pick their top three choices. And then we place our kids in one of their top three choices. Anthony Godfrey:So each teacher has designed one and the students get to choose which one they want to be a part of. Leslie Ewell:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Ok, great. Leslie Ewell:Yeah, and so we do our best to get them in one of their top three choices. We usually are pretty successful at that. Amanda Williams:We've never not gotten them into one of their top three choices. Anthony Godfrey:I’d say that’s pretty successful. Amanda Williams:I think that’s pretty successful. Leslie Ewell:Then they go on Fridays, every Friday from 9:30 to 10:15. They go to one of those classes and they get to participate. There's lots of fun, fun things going on. We have a teacher right now that's doing basketball using Newton's theory of physics. So they spent time talking about that and then they're putting those skills into practice. So you can see that today. We have our wonderful counselor that has been doing dinosaur digging and talking about dinosaurs and that paleontology. Amanda Williams:And he even brings in-- He has a lot of family history, which is really cool. A lot of these projects are passion projects from the teachers. So something that they're interested in that they can bring their passion and engagement with the students. So he has family land and has all these fossils and petrified wood, so he brings that in and he lets all of the kids see it. He has dinosaur teeth. It's just really amazing to see not only the students engaged in the lessons and exploring and participating in this hands on learning but also that the teachers, when you walk in, you'll just see their faces glowing because it's so much fun for them as well. Anthony Godfrey:It sounds like a very, very deep, meaningful level of learning. So if anyone wonders whether Fridays are really worth it, Fridays are worth it. A lot's going on here at Daybreak. We have three students here now at Daybreak. So tell me your name and your grade and what you've liked about this. Jane:I'm Jane. I'm in fourth grade and I've liked doing our art thing. I'm in Kertamus's class. She's doing pointillism and needle and thread thing. I forgot what it was called. It's really fun and I just love doing it. Caleb:My name is Caleb and I am in third grade Miss Adams class. I love the Stop Motion Studio because it's just so fun to do it. Anthony Godfrey:Have you made a movie yourself? Caleb:Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anthony Godfrey;What did you use? What was the movie about? Caleb:We're like, it's like the old 90s and we're like, there's two kids who are bull riders and two kids that are bulls. I'm a bull and one of my other friends are bulls. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, so you're actually acting in this film? Caleb:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Oh wow. So you move a little bit. Caleb:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Is it hard to stay still? Caleb:If you keep your momentum a notch. It's not if you keep your momentum but if you don't it's just so hard not to fall off. Anthony Godfrey:Does the movie have a name? Caleb:It's like a bull rider, bull riders that crash into each other and fall and the bulls just start fighting. Anthony Godfrey:Oh wow. I'm looking forward to seeing this. It's not in 3D is it? I think that might be a little scary. Caleb:No, no. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about your experience. Luke:So my name's Luke and for this class I've been taking a coding class because I want to figure out how to code video games and I've been learning a lot from the teacher. Anthony Godfrey:And what have you learned by coding? Luke:I learned the basic blocks of what you connect and how to make a character move and how to add a character. Anthony Godfrey:Does it make you look at video games differently that you play? Luke:Yeah. It makes me look at them way differently. Anthony Godfrey:Is that something that you'd like to do? Luke:Maybe, but I don't know if I'd be able to make the most complex ones but I'd be able to make some simpler ones. Anthony Godfrey:One day maybe. What are the video games that you like to play? Luke:I like to play Minecraft and Fortnite. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, great. All right. We've got pointillism, we've got filmmaking and we've got computer programming coding. I think that's fantastic. Shall we talk with your counselor here and let's see what he's up to? Isaac Broadbent:Hello, hello. Anthony Godfrey:Introduce yourself and talk about this activity. Isaac Broadbent:Yeah, so I am Mr. Isaac Broadbent. I am one of the counselors here at Daybreak Elementary and I am in charge of the Dino Dig STEAM lesson. And so I chose a dinosaur-themed topic to do for my STEAM. Anthony Godfrey:You don't wear Jurassic Park gear every day to school. Isaac Broadbent:Unfortunately not. Anthony Godfrey:Hat and shirt. Isaac Broadbent:Yeah, I got my hat and my shirt, the whole outfit. Anthony Godfrey:A Jeep outside with a wrap around it. Isaac Broadbent:Oh man, you know what? That is actually next on the list. Anthony Godrey:That's next level. So talk to me about this activity. What do you have set up? Isaac Broadbent:Oh, right. So today is our fourth lesson. Right. So this is the last lesson and this is kind of like the pinnacle part that the students have been working towards. So we've already discussed, you know, the basic anatomy of dinosaurs, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores. And then we've progressed into fossils and different types of fossils and how we can find those in the process that has to take place in order to have an animal remain fossilized. And now we've gone over how sediment plays a role in that process. We've been able to create our own little dinosaur fossils in that sediment encased for the students to dig up today. And so they've been waiting for this moment today. Anthony Godfrey:That's exciting. Isaac Broadbent:And they can actually, you know, have some hands-on experience with digging and chiseling away at a fossil that they've created themselves. Anthony Godfrey:You have a huge drop cloth laid down in the media center. Normally when there's a drop cloth laid down, there's going to be something fun happening. Isaac Broadbent:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:And it looks like the fossils are in the red solo cups over here. Is that right? Isaac Broadbent:Yep. Yeah. So over here. Anthony Godfrey:With some names. So which whose fossil should I dig up for them? I’m just kidding. Isaac Broadbent:So I've got Nathan right here if you want. Anthony Godfrey:All right. Sorry, Nathan. I really want to do this. No, this looks great. It actually looks more like a root beer float in there. Isaac Broadbent:It does. Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:What you're saying is that they have fossilized something showing how the sediment can harden and then they're going to cut into that and chip away and preserve that fossil hopefully. So what did they put in as the fossil? Isaac Broadbent:So I was able to get some little dinosaur toy skeletons and they were able to kind of pick and choose their favorite dinosaur skeleton and what they wanted to dig up. And then I helped them mix up the sediment. We placed the skeleton inside that sediment, let it harden. And then today I'll be cutting away the cup and we'll have that big block of quote unquote rock for them to chisel away. Anthony Godfrey:This is a big day. Isaac Broadbent:Yeah. Oh, it's a huge day. They've been asking when we're going to be getting to it for well, ever since we began. So this is the big event. Anthony Godfrey:I love it. This is really exciting. And hopefully, we can swing back by while some of those fossils are being revealed. Isaac Broadbent:Oh, please do because that is going to be where all the energy and excitement is occurring. Anthony Godfrey:OK, fantastic. Thanks for providing such an awesome activity for these students. Isaac Broadbent:Of course. It's a blast. I love it. Anthony Godfrey:Stay with us. When we come back, students will show us some of their projects at Daybreak Elementary. Break:Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect. Anthony Godfrey:We're upstairs now. Tell me about some of the options, Amanda, that we're going to drop in on. Amanda Williams:OK, so right here we have our kids that are doing criminal investigation. So when they entered, there was crime scene tape all on the doors the first day and they came in and were told they're now detectives. Their first case was the case of the missing sandwich. But now they've learned about, you know, the missing sandwich. Anthony Godfrey:That's important. Absolutely. Amanda Williams:But they learned about motive and intentions and how to collect evidence and how to use evidence to support their claims. So now today, they're looking at fingerprinting and how a fingerprint can give them a very clear sense of who is at the scene of the crime. Anthony Godfrey:These are their stories. Amanda Williams:These are their stories. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, I love it. This is awesome. Amanda Williams:So this group right here, they're joined by their new chess challenges. So they have different levels of chess, beginning, middle, obviously more advanced and they are doing different tournaments. So you'll see that there will be kids in the pod playing chess. There'll be kids in the classroom playing chess and they're just at different level tournaments. But this has been continuing on, so kids have continued to go back to it so they can further extend their learning and become better chess masters. Anthony Godfrey:How's it going here, guys? Who's winning? Student:We’re basically like tied. Anthony Godfrey:You’re basically tied. Student:He has one more point than me. Anthony Godfrey:OK. Amanda Williams:I heard there was a checkmate. So this one is a very serious battle because there was a checkmate already and now it's going on the second time. So they won't even talk. Teacher:Soon they're going to take each other's games. So like five more minutes, they'll switch boards. So he'll have to play his game. Anthony Godfrey:OK. Teacher:So whoever's losing, they're going to switch boards. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, wow. So you need to understand each other's game really well. I love that. I've heard many times that losing in chess is how you learn in chess. Teacher:Oh, yes. Anthony Godfrey:They didn't just tell me that because I was losing?Tell me your name. Carson:I'm Carson Bardsley. This isn’t my real hair. Anthony Godfrey:Well, I didn't think you had gray hair yet. So this is a Daniel Boone kind of Davy Crockett hat with gray hair underneath it. And this is part of part of the video you're making, right? What other costumes do you have? Carson:Well, several wigs. Anthony Godfrey:Show me. All right. Caleb, show me what you've got going on here. Can I watch the movie? (movie starts to play) So you guys are doing the motion yourselves climbing on. This is so cool. Oh, wow. That was great. Oh, now this is animated with a drawing of an ambulance. He's driving along. Who's this? That's Max. OK. Max is a good driver. Oh, wow. He's dragging the patient along the wall. Marla Adams. OK. I can't stop laughing. This is so cool. I love this video. That is awesome. Caleb:Thank you. Anthony Godfrey:It's just like you described it, Caleb. What did you guys like about making this video? Student:Just making people laugh. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah. Well, you did that today. I thought it was so cool. Students:We did this over an extended period of time. Like last time we just we did that all last time, right? No, we didn't do it all last time. We added some sounds this time. We added the clapping sounds. Anthony Godfrey:Is it kind of fun working with kids from different grades and different classes? Students:Yeah. Everybody has different ideas. That's just a great way to go together. There's third graders like– But they'll get that yellow. Get that yellow on. That's just a scene of yours. Anthony Godfrey”What's that? Student:Can you interview ours? Anthony Godfrey:Sure. Student:Yes! Anthony Godfrey:Well, this looks fantastic, guys. You've worked really hard on it and I loved it. This stop motion makes it look like an old time movie. Student:Oh, wait, wait, wait. Anthony Godfrey:You have a production company. Students:Yeah. Stickman Productions. Anthony Godfrey:Stickman Productions. Very cool. Well, you guys have done a great job of this. Thanks for sharing it with me. Amanda Williams:Dax wants to show you one that he worked on. Anthony Godfrey:All right. Let's see yours. Student:My project is stop motion where you have to move it very slightly so it can get -you know how like Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas. Anthony Godfrey:Right. Student:Those are stop motion and they are actually those take a long, long time. Anthony Godfrey:And what was the film that you made? Student:So basically it was just we made like a bunch of, you know, people. So we made them fight. It's kind of like a lot of fighting scenes and-- Anthony Godfrey:Did you use action figures or real…

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Episode 239: Creative English Class is Music to The Ears of Students Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Supercast Episode 239: Creative English Class is Music to The Ears of Students It is a creative English class that is music to the ears of students who are taking the course. On this episode of the Supercast, we visit West Jordan High School where a teacher who is passionate about music, is making students look at songs in a much more meaningful way. From the Beatles and beyond, join us as we find out why students say their teacher, Mr. Jorgensen is truly rockin his lessons on music culture and helping them understand the meaning behind some of the greatest songs of all time while discussing rhetoric of music. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is an English 2010 class that is music to the ears of the students taking the course. On this episode of the Supercast, we visit West Jordan High School, where Ben Jorgensen is teaching students to be passionate about music and is making students look at songs in a much more meaningful way. From the Beatles and beyond, join us as we find out why students say their teacher is rocking his lessons on music culture and helping them understand the meaning behind some of the greatest songs of all time. [Music] We're here at West Jordan High School in Mr. Jorgensen's class to talk about the Beatles and music and culture and all kinds of things. Mr. Jorgensen, thank you for inviting us here. We're here with a few of your students as well. Tell us a little bit about this course and this is the culmination of a particular unit. So tell us about what's led you to today. Ben Jorgensen:Okay, so I've been teaching at Salt Lake Community College for about 12 years. I've been teaching concurrent enrollment for about six years. When they started letting me teach English 2010, I talked to some other teachers about what they were doing with it because I knew the curriculum was about rhetoric. A lot of them did some really creative things with it. Basically, the idea is that you get to explore rhetoric in its different forms. So I put together several units and because I'm kind of a music fanatic, I developed this rhetoric of music unit. We also have a rhetoric of service unit where they do service projects. We also do have a rhetoric of public speaking where they give TED talks. But this is where we start, and this is the longest unit. So I've kind of developed it and tweaked it over the years. I've just gotten a lot of great satisfaction out of it and students seem to enjoy it for the most part. They learn a lot about kind of the history of music, how it developed, and we focus mostly on modern music from like the 1950s on. One of the main things that we do is I have a list of albums, impactful albums over the past 60 years. I have five albums from the 60s, five from the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. Each student has to take one of those albums and do a rhetorical analysis research essay where they research the music, the artist, and the historical impact of that album. Big albums like Michael Jackson's Thriller, any of the Beatles albums, we do Joshua Tree from U2 and we get into even more modern stuff. I think in the 2010s there's an album by a band called Lord Huron on Strange Trails which is also one of my favorites. So yeah, that's kind of where it's gone. Anthony Godfrey:Boy, that's fantastic. In this moment I wish I could go back in time and take your class as a high school student. What are some of the changes that you see in students through this music unit in particular? What are some of the discoveries that they've made over the years? Ben Jorgensen:Well, they realize how much music does impact culture and their own lives. We look at lyrics and meaning and message. We talk about just sound and tone and how music makes us feel. We do visual rhetorics. We look at a list of music videos and we kind of comment on how the visuals affect how we understand the song or the message of the music. This symposium that we do at the end, I'm always slightly worried that it's going to go well and then I'm always completely relieved that it went really, really well. It's an academic intellectual conversation about the Beatles and that's a pretty fun topic to have. Anthony Godfrey:Having the chance to sit in here and watch kind of a fishbowl discussion where you have people out in the crowd watching the six and then they can tap each other on the shoulder, step in, take their place, and join the discussion. It was really hard for me not to jump in and share my opinion because it was so it was such a great environment. It's obvious that you've created this really productive dynamic in your class where people have meaningful conversation with each other, draw each other's opinions out, react in a way that it provides a really deep rich learning. So that was really fun to watch and hard not to be a part of. So let's turn to you students. Tell me a little bit about, first of all, the unit before we get to the Beatles. How has this changed your view of music and its impact? Abby Phillips:I'm Abby Phillips and I say that music is one of the most important things in my life because I'm a dancer. So every day I'm listening to music and I'm expressing myself through movement to music. So it's actually been really cool to be able to apply school to my interests. And so I just think it's really interesting. It's been one of my favorite units I've ever studied in school because I actually care about it. It's just really fun to be able to learn about something that you don't really get to learn about in school. Ashton:Yeah, my name is Ashton and I think it's great to have a class all about you in music. My family, my mom's side is from the west coast and my dad's side is from out east and so I grew up listening to any type of music you can imagine. It's always been such a huge part of my life to listen and learn about music. This class specifically about rhetoric, it's very interesting to think of music as a tool to persuade rather than just a song. So it's definitely changed my mindset in that I'm more looking into the ways that artists can persuade an audience to listen and can push their message forward. It's very interesting. Arlen:My name is Arlen and honestly this class has been extremely thought-provoking. I like how you dove into your background with music in terms of your father's side and your mother's side because my family is very rooted in Mexico. My stepdad's even Mexican, my mom and my dad are Mexican and then all the way up to my grandparents. So at home, it was a lot of songs that were in Spanish and if it wasn't songs that were in Spanish, it was my older brother playing rap music. So when I was young I grew up listening to a bunch of rap music, some songs in Spanish but it never really appealed to me. So taking this class really– it opened my eyes. I never really dove into the past, I didn't listen to any slower music, I always liked my music fast with not the best lyrical content but you know definitely something. Jorgensen just opened up my mind to the past. There's a couple of artists that already stuck with me. I know I had to pick the song “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman for one of my projects and I listened to that song on repeat. Now I get in my car I'm like shoot I don't have a fast car but I've got a car. I mean, in terms of rhetoric and music I think it's honestly phenomenal. I did a speech just recently in this class about Bob Marley and his effect on music. To do that speech I went to go watch the movie on Bob Marley. So I've been thinking ever since that movie and being introduced to the Beatles, I've been thinking how they appeal to the audience and how the message isn't separated from the music. Actually, Bob Marley says that in the movie, but I think it's just amazing to connect both of those into one. Especially because now I feel like a lot of the rap music that I listened to and a lot of the music I listen to now is very disconnected from the message they want to push. So being able to listen to some of the older music where the Beatles are pushing love and positivity and other people are talking about their own personal trauma and past, I think it's really been amazing to just kind of reflect on myself and reflect on how it affected others at that time to honestly become a better person through the music. Anthony Godfrey:So Bob Marley is in particular one that has caught hold of you through this unit. Arlen:Oh yeah, most definitely. And you know I just want to point out now that I have the mic I think it's kind of hilarious that Mr. Jorgensen came in the Beatles shirt. I've never seen him in anything other than a suit and tie so I think it's pretty funny. Anthony Godfrey:Well, I do like when Bob Marley tells me “every little thing's going to be all right. Don't worry about a thing.” It works. What are some of the artists that the two of you have discovered through this music unit? Abby:Well, I have grown up listening to the Beatles. My grandfather's a big fan of them but I think that it really just opened me up to like listening to them in a way I never have before. Like I've never dove into their music and they're singing about the time that they're in and how impactful their messages actually are. And we're gonna learn about like who they are and how they came together and how they fell apart. It's just like the more you know about the artists the more meaningful the music actually is to you. So I think that's been really interesting to actually learn about the Beatles. Not just their music but who they were and how they impacted others. So that's really cool. Ashton:I think I have a story that kind of contrasts pretty crazily with I think a lot of people in this class in that I've been listening to music from the 60s and the 70s my whole life and so I know a lot about these bands. This class has kind of pushed me to listen to more modern music. I guess it's not super modern, but I'm talking to talking to Jorgensen all the time he's gotten me to listen to bands like Crowded House and U2 a lot more. I've heard of them but I've never actually took the time to listen to them. I love Crowded House. I think it's a great great band and I'm glad that I got to experience that through this class. Anthony Godfrey:I love hearing how it's this class has expanded your listening taste but also impacted your lives in the way that you view the world. It's nice that you get to stream music. I was telling my son last night just how if I listened to music they had to decide to play it on the radio or I had to actually buy it. And when you invested in music you really gave it a deep listen. I think this class gives you that experience as well that you give things a deep listen. Stay with us. When we come back, more with Mr. Jorgensen's class. [Music] Break:Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment or a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids' Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession. Anthony Godfrey:I really want to dive into the Beatles now so I'm going to ask all the Beatles questions. First of all, your favorite song. Tell me your favorite Beatles song and that's a tough one to pick. Abby:I think it's “Yesterday.” That song, it just every time I listen to it, it makes me emotional because it's just so beautiful and I love the message. It's just so well composed that it just brings out all my emotions. There's actually a movie called “Yesterday” it's about if the Beatles didn't exist. I think that like I can't even imagine not knowing that music because it's just it's all so beautiful. And so “Yesterday” is definitely my favorite. Ashton:Yeah, my favorite Beatles song is probably going to be “Don't Let Me Down”. I think that it's– I think obviously it's a beautiful song but I think more in retrospect, it kind of serves as a great wrapping up point for the Beatles. It's kind of on the Let It Be album but not really. It's like on the Master Edition and on the Blue album and so it like kind of wraps up the Beatles in a very nice way. It's a very beautiful song, has a very powerful message and it's pretty positive. Arlen:In terms of my favorite Beatles song, it'd probably be “Girl” by them or even “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. I do like “Don't Let Me Down” a lot but I'm really big on how the music sounds itself. So that's why I've loved this class actually because it's made me dive into the lyrical content of music more because I've always just been on how it sounds in my ears when I'm not really listening to the lyrics and just how the beat sounds and how it flows. So that's one of the reasons I like “Girl” so much actually. I love the the way it sounds but even diving into the lyrical content like I can't say I 100 percent relate to it. I won't say that but I do like some of the lines they say. I think it's a little bit funny. Some of them do relate to me so that would have to be my favorite song “Girl” by the Beatles. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me who is your favorite Beatle? Do you have a favorite Beatle? Arlen:I feel like I don't have the traditional favorite Beatle. A lot of people would probably say John Lennon or Paul McCartney. My favorite Beatle is actually Ringo Starr. I love the way he looks. I loved watching some of the the rooftop concert for Apple Studios was it? I loved watching that concert and kind of just seeing Ringo Starr kind of really just beat along to the music and nod his head. I feel like just the way he carries himself makes me laugh and I just it feels friendly. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, it feels friendly. I love that description. Nobody's having a better time than Ringo. Ringo is just there “Hey, I'm so good I'm just gonna fill in all the gaps and do it in a way nobody else could.” So yeah I love that. Ashton:I'd probably say George. It's like I think John and Paul, they started as geniuses and it's like everyone knew that they were talented. George was kind of the underdog and he took the time and developed his musical talent and he really blossomed into a I think a wonderful musician. So definitely George Harrison. Abby:Well, it's actually funny that Arlen said Ringo because I wrote down in my notes that Ringo doesn't get enough credits for being on the Beatles. This is something that Jorgensen has discussed. Like their music wouldn't be anything without Ringo keeping that beat. And I actually do like how he just jams. And the rooftop concert, their last song they ever performed was "Don't Let Me Down". It that was a really cool video watching them just kind of-- it was just like a farewell.…

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Episode 238: A “Hole-In-One” Championship Kind of STEM Course at Jordan Hills Elementary School Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

They were asked to take a swing at designing miniature golf courses and the students proved concentrating on teamwork can pay off. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Jordan Hills Elementary School where STEM specialists gathered groups of students in the gym for a unique lesson. The students were asked to use engineering skills and work in teams to create challenging mini golf courses worthy of a hole-in-one. It was a STEM exercise that was educational and a whole lot of fun. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They were asked to take a swing at designing miniature golf courses, and these students showed that concentrating on teamwork pays off. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Jordan Hills Elementary School, where STEM teachers gather groups of students in the gym for a unique lesson. The students were asked to use engineering skills and to work in teams to create challenging mini-golf courses worthy of a hole-in-one. It was a STEM exercise that was educational and a whole lot of fun. [Music] We're here with Susan Smith, one of the STEM specialists at Jordan Hills Elementary, to talk about your inaugural mini-golf course here. It fills the gym. It looks fantastic. It's very colorful. I'm not sure what the fire marshal would say. It's a lot of cardboard and paper. Susan Smith:It is. Yes. Anthony Godfrey:I think it looks fabulous. And it looks like every single hole has a different theme. Tell me a little bit about how this came to be. As the STEM specialist, of course, you're focused on engineering, math, science, technology, and giving students opportunities to do some real-world sort of work in that area. Tell me all about this project. It looks really cool. Susan Smith:Well, for six years, we've been working here as the STEM specialists when the program first started. I have been getting all my ideas off of the internet. We saw this idea several years ago and wanted to try it, but it seemed daunting. Anthony Godfrey:And this is the year? Susan Smith:This is the year. We decided to really give it a go. We came up with a couple dozen themes, separate themes for each of the classes. None of these classes have the same theme. We all decided they got to pick out of a few of those themes, which ones they wanted their class to do. And so every theme– I mean, there's farm, outer space, RSL soccer. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, wow. We're going to take a walk-through. Tell me what are some of the things that you wanted students to take away from this project? What did you want them to learn? Susan Smith:The main thing was for them to work together and to cooperate and to collaborate as a class. Anthony Godfrey:I love that. Yeah, that's great. Susan Smith:It doesn't really matter how well the golf course turned out, although some of them really did turn out well. But no, we really wanted them to learn about collaboration and working together. Anthony Godfrey:And how did that turn out? Susan Smith:Beautifully. It was awesome. They all just really got excited about it and worked together to come up with all of their different ideas for their individual class course. Anthony Godfrey:So is each one a different class? So the whole class worked on the hole. Susan Smith:Yes. The whole class made one hole. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, wow. Susan Smith:Well, the ALPS classes, since they're larger, made two courses. Anthony Godfrey:Wow. That looks fantastic. So now, you know, when Arnold Palmer or any of the pros design a course, it's their signature course. Susan Smith:Right. Anthony Godfrey:So this is like Mrs. So-and-so's signature course for each of these holes. Okay. Well, let's walk through and check it out. I hope I get to play some of them in a minute. Susan Smith:Sure. Oh, yeah. You'll have to compete with Mrs. Sanders' class. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. All right. Well, I'm up for the challenge. Let's give it a try. All right. Let's check out some of these. On the farm. Look at this one. Looks like we have the...you have to go through the barn. I'm glad I don't see any windmills. The windmills tend to stump me. Susan Smith:Well... Anthony Godfrey:I have a difficult time with those. Oh, wait. There is one. Susan Smith:Oh, yes. We do have something that resembles a windmill. Anthony Godfrey:And a pyramid. What kind of guidance did you have to give students as a part of this project? Susan Smith:Well, we created parameters that they had to follow. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. Susan Smith:They had to make something that had a distinct fairway. So we taught them some of the words of golf, like the T-mat and fairway. They had to define the edges by putting some sort of a bumper or a fence around it so that it would guide the ball to the hole in the correct direction that they want. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. Okay. Susan Smith:Some of them made false pathways. Anthony Godfrey:Oh. Susan Smith:Like I think this basketball one that Mr. is... Anthony Godfrey:Mr. Pringles, it looks like. Susan Smith:So there's a fake hole and a real hole. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. All right. Susan Smith:And they have to decide which one is going to get them there. Anthony Godfrey:Nice. This is impressive. This took a ton of work. Susan Smith:This is our sixth week. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about the steps that you took them through to prepare to get to this final product. Susan Smith:Okay. So we used– we taught them the engineering design process. This is a thing that we've been teaching them all these years. It starts with asking a question. And the question for this activity was, "Can we build a golf course using these materials?" Then we went to the planning stages, the hypothesis, the planning, and we had them write up a design. Everybody got a chance to include their ideas. And then from the plan, we started to create it. We provided them with all of these materials that in fact they have been bringing in and donating from their own houses. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah. Susan Smith:Like the cardboard tubes. Anthony Godfrey:And I see some cereal boxes. Somebody has cocoa puffs in their home frequently. Yes. Susan Smith:So from the creation, then we had to go through and test to see if they were going to actually work once they had built some of it. So we would test it, improve it, test it, improve it. Anthony Godfrey:I love it. Susan Smith:And then finally today is our sixth week. We have the classes coming in during their STEM time to sit and observe the PE class, who is learning about miniature golf. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, okay. Susan Smith:To come and observe and make some notes and– Anthony Godfrey:I love how it overlaps. They're learning to design and create. They're getting to observe all of their hard work paying off. Susan Smith: In a real life sort of setting.Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, it's exciting. Stay with us. When we come back we take to the homemade mini-links to test our putting skills. Break:Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, let's take a look at some of these. So we've got outer space here. We've got on the farm. We've got at the zoo. I love these themes. This is really cool. Susan Smith:There's Bug Island here. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, let's go to Bug Island. Where's Bug Island? Susan Smith:Right over here. Anthony Godfrey:Let's walk through. For those who are listening, this is really–this is filling an elementary school gym completely. Bug Island. And everyone signed it. I love that. It is their signature course. Susan Smith:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:That's perfect. Susan Smith:This is Mr. Squire's second-grade class. Anthony Godfrey:Oh, wow. Susan Smith:Every class signed a sign with their own name so that they know that this is the one that we created. Anthony Godfrey:That's awesome. Susan Smith:Monkey Jungle is a really good one. Anthony Godfrey:Monkey Jungle looks really good. Oh, look at the bananas that were made out of the tissue paper. So if this is where you wrap the tissue paper around the end of a pencil, dip it in glue and stick it on. Okay, so those listening, maybe you can picture that. Then the sides of the track are the paper towel rolls cut down the center and taped and lined up. So let's give it a try. Maybe I'll grab that. Oh, here we go. Here's a club. Blue. I feel like I'm really going to be successful with this. Susan Smith:There's the tee. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, I set it on the tee. It's intimidating. They've done a good job. All right. Am I banking it? I don't know. I'm trying to use a little geometry myself. Oh, a banana got in the way. This is very appealing, though. Susan Smith:Appealing. Oh, I love it. Anthony Godfrey:Did I get it in? I did. Almost. Oh, no. I got close, but it's down inside the monkey. All right. It’s inside the monkey's mouth. Not quite. All right. With a little help. Do I get a one-stroke penalty for that? All right. Let's try. Let's see it through here. All right. I think I made it. Susan Smith:Did it go in? Anthony Godfrey:Oh, that feels good. Yes. Success. All right. Thank you. That's really nice. That's good. Three putting a miniature golf course that should be two. That's about my normal score. Susan Smith:That’s your par. Anthony Godfrey:So I would say that they've done a very nice job here. We're going to go over to this really colorful one here. I want to check this one out. How's it going, guys? Is this a pretty tough hole to play? Student:Kind of. Anthony Godfrey:All right. Let's see. Let's see what you got. Let's try it. You're in the rough right now. Susan Smith:In the breakdown, after we get back to class, the kids talk about which ones worked well and which ones didn't. This one actually is really hard because of the incline and some of the things just kind of get in the way. But it looks fantastic. Anthony Godfrey:And I would think there's a ton for them to learn, even if it's because their hole didn't work very well. You learn something from that just as much as you do if it works well. And you want them to reach for something that's more difficult. If it doesn't work, at least they tried something that stretched them maybe beyond a simpler hole. Susan Smith:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:We're going to talk with three students from Jordan Hills who helped design some of these. Each of you are in a different grade. Tell me your name and your grade and the theme that your class chose for your hole. Zikaya:I'm Zikaya Murray, and we actually did the jungle, which was Monkey Jungle. We did Monkey Jungle. Anthony Godfrey:And what grade are you in? You’re sixth grade, right? Zikaya:Sixth. Anthony Godfrey:So I played that one. I love it. I love the bananas. I think it's a really cool design. It did take me three shots, but I felt pretty good about that. It was in the monkey's mouth after two shots, but I missed the hole. Zikaya:A lot of people, you had to hit soft enough, but also hard enough to actually get it into the hole. Anthony Godfrey:Did you test it out in a number of times? And what was your best shot? Did you get a hole in one? Zikaya:The best shot was made by, I have to remember, Maddie. She actually made it in two shots right into the hole. Anthony Godfrey:So everybody felt good. Maddie can do two. It's ready for prime time. We're ready to have students play on this. What was your favorite part of the process of doing all this over the last few weeks? Zikaya:My personal favorite was designing the actual thing. Anthony Godfrey:Oh yeah, okay. Zikaya:It's like designing the monkey and the bananas and the actual base. Anthony Godfrey:So what did the design process look like? Did you draw it out on paper, or what did you do? Zikaya:We drew it out on paper. There were five designs we wanted to do. So we were going to do a mountain where it was sort of a river and not which the hole was that had monkeys all over it. Or we were going to do a big giant rock and then it had monkeys all over it. All my class wanted to do was to do the monkeys. Anthony Godfrey:So monkeys were going to be involved one way or another. It's a great idea, great execution. And did you try to make it hard or easy, or what were you going for? Zikaya:We tried to make it hard with the bananas. So Kaylei came up with the bananas because we wanted to make obstacles. So we would bounce into things. We were trying to make it hard but not too hard. Easy enough that someone could do it but not too easy. Anthony Godfrey:Well, putting all those bananas on there must have been a bunch of work. ZIkaya:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Well, thank you very much. It looks fantastic. You guys did great. Now tell me your name in grade. Dezarae:My name is Dezarae Lund. I'm in fourth grade. Anthony Godfrey:And tell me Dezarae, what was the theme for yours? Dezarae:The theme for mine, we called it the Challenging Forest. Anthony Godfrey:I really like this. This looks cool. Tell me about it. Dezarae:So the Challenging Forest, so we started with that one that has the trees. We started off with the animals. As you can see here, this is a wolf. And over there that's a squirrel on the tree. So we have like these separate ideas of people doing. We had some people doing the big footpaths and some people doing the trees, the covering. Anthony Godfrey:I see the footprints now. So you're trying to get the ball along big foot's path right along where those footprints are. Dezarae:Yeah, and then we had a group of boys putting the cave, and then two boys that did the bridge. That's the waterfall. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me what you learned from the process. Dezarae:Kind of what I learned from it is that it's more helpful to have lots of people working in different groups instead of like all together. That sounds helpful. Anthony Godfrey:So divide up the labor. Have people get a specific assignment and then bring it all together? Dezarae:Yeah, and I really liked how people work together. Anthony Godfrey:Sounds awesome. Dezarae:I think this was a really fun project and I think we should do it again. Anthony Godfrey:Well, it turned out great. Nice job. Dezarae:Thank you. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, tell me your name and grade. Benson:My name is Benson. I'm in third grade. Anthony Godfrey:Benson, tell me about this hole. It looks really cool. Benson:First, we had to start making ideas for it. And we were starting to think of an idea for a sandcastle like over there. But then we couldn't finish it in enough time because there wasn't that much good materials to use for it. Because cardboard is hard to shape into a sandcastle shape. So then we couldn't make it. Anthony Godfrey:But you learned some things when the sandcastle and other parts of it just didn't work out. Benson:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:What's your favorite part of making this? Benson:My favorite part of making it was probably taping on everything. A lot of it was good. Actually everything. Anthony Godfrey:Everything. Everything about it was fun. It looks really cool. And I love the palm trees. There's a little cabana over here it looks like. I wonder if you could play it for me? Show me how it…

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Episode 237: Black Student Union Helps Herriman High Celebrate Iconic Musicians from the 1960’s and Beyond Mar 21, 2024

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Supercast Episode 237: Black Student Union Helps Herriman High Celebrate Iconic Musicians from the 1960’s and Beyond It was a project which was part of Black History Month at Herriman High School and it had a musical twist. On this episode of the Supercast, we introduce you to some members of the Black Student Union who organized an amazing display celebrating the accomplishments of iconic black musicians dating back to the 1960’s. Join us as we travel back in time, getting to know the talented artists and their music that made history. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a project that was made for Black History Month at Herriman High School, and it had a musical twist. On this episode of the Supercast, we introduce you to some members of the Black Student Union who organized an amazing display celebrating the accomplishments of iconic Black musicians dating back to the 1960s. Join us as we travel back in time, getting to know the talented artists and music that made history, as well as some recent recommendations. [Music] I'm here with five of the students that are part of the Black Student Union here at Herriman High School. Why don't you introduce yourselves and tell a little bit about yourself. Efrain:Hello, my name is Efrain Villa Matos. I normally go by Effie. I have been a member of this club since its inception, and I am a musician and a student at Herriman High School. Trace:My name is Trace Pounds. I'm the president of the BSU. A little bit about myself is I'm an athlete. I do track and basketball and also like doing art and stuff. Nigel:My name is Nigel Feese. I do track with the president, and I'm also part of the social media team for the BSU. Elsie:Hi, I'm Elsie Rhys. I'm the secretary of BSU, and I play the cello. Ariel:Hi, my name is Ariel. I am a musician and an athlete. I'm part of BSU. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, you're all obviously very involved in a number of things at school. Tell me about BSU, what it means to you, how it started, all of that. Student:Sure, I feel like all of us have been friends ever since we kind of came to this school. So when Miss Codella kind of approached us to start a Black Student Union, it was something pretty inspiring to us because obviously being just not white in Herriman High School, we are kind of different. So having that safe space for us to just be able to hang out with our friends was incredible. I mean, us just being able to be ourselves together was really important to our tenure at this school, and so to me, this is something very important and something I love being a part of. Student:Yeah, that's the same thing for me. We're just having that safe space is just really useful, and like you can meet new friends, you can talk to people, and you can feel safe rather than you kind of just go out and you don't know what people are going to say or how they're going to treat you. Just having a safe space for people to meet and talk to each other. Anthony Godfrey:Sure. Student:Yeah, I like it just as a sense of community with people who are like me, and I just get to relate to. Student:Adding on to what they said, me and Ariel were from Brooklyn, so the difference in culture here was very shocking. Just having a community for us to be able to express ourselves and have similarities with other students, it's very comforting. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me a little bit about this display. Who was most responsible for the display here? Student:We all had our parts, and obviously I kind of just went over and assigned people, because we want to give them leadership opportunities and opportunities to have creative control. So we had all the decades listed that we wanted to feature, and then we were like, "Hey, I need to have like two to three people sign up for each of them." So I know that we had many different people, but my main one that I focused on that I kind of was a part of is the 2010s. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, let's go look at the 2010s. Is that Kendrick Lamar there? Student:Yep, Kendrick Lamar, yes. And we also wanted to talk about black artists and musicians, but also other things that they do. Because not only do they create music, but they also create a sense of community. I talked a little bit like Tyler, the Creator, how not only did he influence music, is he also streetwear and just kind of how people dressed in general. Where it's like music doesn't, it's not just music, it changes culture. So yeah, not only talking about things that they've done in music, but things that they other. Anthony Godfrey:What's your favorite album by Tyler, the Creator? Because I spoke with a student just the other day who was telling me about one I need to listen to. Student:Yeah, he has a lot of good ones. Some of my favorites, I'll probably say Igor. Anthony Godfrey:That's the same one they mentioned is Igor. Student:Okay, I'm a bit of a traditionalist and my favorite by him is Cherry Bomb, which is the least favorite by everyone else, but, I love it. Anthony Godfrey:So I start with Igor, and I go to Cherry Bomb. So I get the full range. Student:I would probably go to Flower Boy before I went to Cherry Bomb. Student:It's a more, it eases you into it, because his music is very out there. So Flower Boy is very avant-garde or whatever. Anthony Godfrey:So maybe I need to listen to all of his stuff. That's what you're telling me. Student:Yes, and definitely even watching like a video. When I was doing research for it, like watching video essays, I'm like, “Wow". There's like, it's a lot more depth to not only is he's telling a story, like even in his first three albums, last two mixtapes, he told a story about someone where it wasn't, it's not just individual albums standing on their own. It's like a whole story that comes together. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. Student:And I was mostly responsible for the 2000s, but I kind of like to talk about why we chose to do music as a whole. I mean, obviously, for Black History Month, a lot of people focus on like, a lot of the civil rights activists and a lot of the people who acted during slavery to help free the slaves. And that is an important thing, but we want to kind of stray away from that and show kind of the modern Black people. Some of the most influential people in our country have been these Black artists. And obviously, in the modern day, as a whole, like artists, musicians and directors, and influencers as a whole are some of the most important people responsible for like what we consume as a whole, and what we see every day. So we thought it was pretty important for us to shine upon some of the most influential artists of well, the past like seven decades or so. Anthony Godfrey:Sure. Student:I covered the 2000s. You know, I'll be completely honest, I'm not necessarily like the biggest fan of all of these musicians. But you know, we got Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, there's Kanye West, Beyonce, I mean, you can't not know their names. Anthony Godfrey:There are some greats that came out of that era for sure. Tell me about these other areas. What is your favorite era? 2000s is not, tell me what's your preference? Student:Probably like 1000%, like either the 90s or the 2010s. I grew up in the 2010s and all my favorite artists are from the 2010s. You know, people like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, incredible musicians. And you know, I grew up listening to them and I was there for the release of some of the projects. So that was really cool. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, it means something different when you were there when they first came out. It's different to listen to it when it's new. Speaking of which, I was listening to things that were new in the 80s. Any 80s music that you particularly like? Student:Well, yeah, like the start of hip hop, people with Nas at the end of the 80s, who are like pretty much set the wave for like that. Also, like a lot of R&B artists, and like, just a lot of influential things. And although I can't like name all of them once I hear it, like, it's just, comes back to me Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, sure. Is there something that surprised you about music or that you discovered by putting these displays together? Student:Definitely just like looking at like, even though I really kind of focused on one even just reading through a couple of them, like, wow, there's just a lot of people that like I knew the names of, but I didn't know necessarily what they did and learning more about them. I was like, oh, that's that putting a name to the face in like a career as well. Student:Yeah, it's kind of insane how almost like the grand majority of the most influential artists across all these decades, were all black musicians, they really paved the way and led the culture and it's just, it's really cool. Anthony Godfrey:What do you hope people take away from seeing this display? Student:Kind of just like acknowledgement to where it's like, what kind of how he said is like a lot of prolific artists throughout the years are black and just like realizing black culture and stuff and their influence on the community as well. Student:Yeah, I would just say like acknowledgement and appreciation for like artists throughout the decades and just like what they've done and the impact they've had. Student:Because you know, this is a little more than the music, right? To just like kind of see past just the music and really see the people who made it. Anthony Godfrey:We're here with the advisor for the Black Student Union. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about how this got started. Vickey Codella:My name is Vickey Codella and we started the Black Student Union last year. We got started a little bit late in the year, but we have really taken off this year. We've done a trunk or treat in October. We did a fundraiser for our school-wide Hearts of Gold thing. And then we did our setup for the Black History Month walkthrough museum for the students. We're just trying to be a big presence in the school and be of service and also have a strong voice. Anthony Godfrey:What impact do you want the club to have in Herriman High School? Vickey Codella:The kids who are a part of it, I just love watching them blossom into having a voice and feeling confident in who they are. So that's been really pleasant. And also like showing up for the Principal's Roundtable and just having a strong presence in the school, which is nice. And I just hope that the kids that are not part of the club can see that and appreciate their efforts and who they are. Anthony Godfrey:Well, thank you so much for everything you do. I know you're very active in supporting students in the BSU, and thanks for taking time with us today. Vickey Codella:Of course, thank you for coming. Anthony Godfrey:Stay with us when we come back. We'll talk more about the talented musicians and familiar tunes that made history, as well as some current recommendations from high school students in the know. Break:Hello, I'm Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counseling Specialist for Jordan School District. Do you know all the ways Jordan School District counselors can help you and your student? School counselors play such an important role in our schools. They provide parents with resources to help guide their children in academics. They provide support with the mental and social well-being of students in our schools. And if you are in the process of preparing a student for college, or just beginning the conversation of higher education now is the perfect time to reach out to your child's counselor. We can assist with college applications and college readiness. I encourage parents and guardians to schedule an appointment and get to know your student's counselor. Together, counselors and parents can help develop plans and strategies for students to succeed long after they leave Jordan School District. Reach out! We're always here to help. You can find us and learn more at counseling.jordandistrict.org. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me your name. Student:I'm Brenden Schmidt. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about the '60s display here. Student:So this one is Ray Charles. That's the one I did personally. He's like one of the most influential singers. And another song, this is kind of from the '70s, one of my favorite songwriters and singers, Donny Hathaway. I sang one of his songs at our cultural assembly at our school. Anthony Godfrey:Which one did you sing by Donny Hathaway? Student:It's called "Love, Love, Love." Anthony Godfrey:Yeah. Student:It's a little bit older. It meant a lot to me because he's one of my favorite artists and he puts a lot of feeling into his music. And even if he doesn't write it, he makes it his own music. Anthony Godfrey:I love Donny Hathaway. Actually, I love his Christmas music too. What's the song? "This Christmas." That's a good one. Student:Yeah, that's great. Anthony Godfrey:Since you chose to feature music for Black History Month, tell me what are, who is your favorite? I know you were each assigned a decade. Tell me about your favorite recording artist. I'm a huge music fan, so you got to tell me the artist and you've got to tell me the album that I need to listen to from that artist so you can expand my horizon a little bit. Student:Especially recently, Smino, he's one of my favorite guys to listen to. I've just kind of, I've especially started listening to music more and more in the past couple of years. And just like, he's been one of the artists that I've discovered recently that I just like. Anthony Godfrey:Is he new? Is he part of a group previously? Student:He's been in the industry for about like 10 years. He is a new artist. That's when he like kind of started becoming popular. He is part of like the alternative R&B movement that like people like Frank Ocean led, but he kind of spearheaded and put towards more of a bubbly kind of fun wave. Smino, incredible artist. I absolutely love him. Student:And I just love so many of his songs where it's not, it doesn't necessarily all sound the same. Like he does a lot of different things and it all sounds great. Student:I would say my favorite artist is SZA because I used to listen to her a lot when I was a kid. And growing up in Brooklyn, we used to listen to her all the time. And now being in Utah, it's like so different. So listening to her reminds me of who I am and where I came from. Anthony Godfrey:That's awesome. Now I saw SZA on the Grammys and she's really taken off. Were you listening to her in the early days? Student:Yeah, I listened to her before anybody else knew her. I'm an original fan. Anthony Godfrey:So what should I listen to first? Student:I would say Love Galore because my mom used to play it all the time. Student:My favorite artist is Quadeca, but I think a more relevant artist to talk about is one of my most influential musicians. His name is Slauson Malone. Interesting person, but he makes masterpieces. I think his albums are really experimental. I like how they take elements of like old soul records, but as well as mixing it with live instrumentation. He was previously in a jazz band called Standing on That Corner. And I like how he mixes bits and pieces from so many different eras to tell a story in the modern world. It's kind of scary music, definitely very experimental and not for the average listener. But if you're into weird stuff, you might like it. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, great. Experimental for sure. What e…

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Episode 236: A PE Teacher Putting the Fun in Fitness at Copper Mountain Middle School and Making a Big Difference in Young Lives Mar 14, 2024

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He is a long-time physical education teacher who has put the fun in fitness and inspired students along the way. On this episode of the Supercast, we head to the gymnasium at Copper Mountain Middle School. There, we discover why PE teacher Patrick Keating and specialist Tricia Rojas are passionate about finding interesting ways to keep kids active and why it is so important, especially in middle school. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He is a long-time physical education teacher who has been making fitness fun and inspiring students for many years. On this episode of the Supercast, we head to the gym at Copper Mountain Middle School. There we find out why PE teacher Patrick Keating and specialist Tricia Rojas are passionate about finding interesting ways to keep kids active and why it is so important, especially in middle school. [Music] We're here at Copper Mountain Middle School to talk about physical education with Pat Keating and Tricia Rojas. I'll give you just a moment to introduce yourselves. Pat Keating:I'm Pat Keating and I've been at Copper Mountain Middle for, this is my 11th year. Total years of teaching this is the 33rd year for me. Tricia Rojas:Hi, I'm Tricia Rojas. I'm the Health and PE specialist for Jordan School District. I support all of our Health and PE teachers as they support our students. I've been in this district for five years now, started out my teaching career in Texas, and really happy to be here. Thank you. Anthony Godfrey:You spent time in the military as well. Tricia Rojas:That's true. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about all the things you've done that have led you to this point. Tricia Rojas:Well, so I did. I went right in the military when I graduated high school and worked on weapon systems. In the military, you get a side duty or a collateral duty in addition to your normal job. Mine was to facilitate the fitness test that all military personnel are supposed to do every six months. I would hold that and then anyone who didn't pass, I would train them for the next six months and get them into shape, get them ready. I ended up loving that job more than my main job that I was there to do. That's where I started, I got my interest in fitness and health. After the military, I went into the fitness industry where I became a personal trainer, got my kinesiology degree. As time went on, my husband was a teacher, he was a coach, and inspired me. So I went into education and ended up loving it. Anthony Godfrey:I love that. That's a great range of experience that you bring to help support teachers. Now Mr. Keating, I'm going to have to call you Mr. Keating. I'm a Big Dead Poet Society fan. Mr. Keating. Pat Keating:Seize the day. Anthony Godfrey:Yes, that's right. Tell us about where you first got interested in fitness and the journey that brought you here. I know you've worked at a lot of different schools with a lot of people that you and I have in common over the years. Pat Keating:Yeah, for sure. First of all, I played sports my whole life. I couldn't get enough of sports. I pretty much dabbled in just about every sport known to man. In college, I played football up at Idaho State and stuff. I didn't go into the military. I had all four brothers who went into the military, I was the only one that didn't. They said, "If you can go play football in college, you go play football." So I did. And then I just, for whatever reason, sports just became such a part of my life and fitness and stuff. I just thought, "You know what? This would be a great thing for me to pursue." So I went into education and I got a double major in special education and physical education. So I have bounced back and forth with the two. I think I've spent 14 years in special ed and this is my 19th year in physical education. Anthony Godfrey:Well, that shows your range as an educator to be able to be such an effective special educator and switch to physical education. And like I said, you're iconic. Lots of people know you and really admire the work you do as an educator. Talk to me about the impact that a physical education class can have on a student. Tricia Rojas:Well, the PE teacher has a unique place in the school and an opportunity to reach kids in a way that the classroom teacher doesn't have the opportunity for. So being able to take the kid, get them moving and give them this free space and judgment-free zone to just try, rather than being a competitive thing or for a grade. Just try. See what you can do. Set your own goals. Try to reach them. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me, Pat, tell me about the impact that you've seen over the years of physical education on individual students. Pat Keating:Well, I've seen kids totally blossom. I've had kids come in that, like you said, they had no sports background. They had no confidence in doing things. They wanted to kind of stand in the shadows because they'd see other kids that played football or basketball or all these sports. So my big thing is, which we were just playing, is floor hockey. It's a sport that– hockey in general is a sport that's not huge in Utah. So I usually like to start a semester or a quarter out with floor hockey. And I tell the kids, “Look, who plays hockey in here? Sometimes I get one hand go up. Sometimes I don't have any with 40 or 50 kids. And I tell all the kids, “Look around, see how many great hockey players we have in here.” And I said “You're all starting at the same level. It doesn't matter if these other kids play sports. This is a totally different sport. They have no background in it.” And for whatever reason, it kind of lights a fire underneath them to like, ‘hey, you know what? I mean, they don't have any experience in this either.’ And they get out there and they start trying. And man, I see some kids that are so kind of withdrawn and skittish. It just lights a fire in them. And so it kind of triggers them to try in these other sports, even though, like when we do soccer, we'll have a lot of kids that have soccer experience. Or when we do basketball. But starting out with floor hockey kind of sets a good tone to get these kids feeling like, “Hey, I can do this”, you know. Anthony Godfrey:I love how intentional you are about creating that experience early on so that students feel very comfortable trying something different and really putting all of themselves into it. Pat Keating:Yeah. And I always tell them, I said, “Look, this is the one class that even if you're not great in here if you're giving me a great effort, you're participating, you show good sportsmanship, you can get as good a grade as the kid that is the elite athlete in here. What other class can you do that? In math, if you do terrible on a math test, you're not going to get an A.” This is a class that you know what, you come in, you participate, you know what, you have fun, you get active, you're moving. My big thing is just to get these kids moving. That's always been my goal and stuff. I mean, because, you know, people say, “Oh, hey, obesity is an epidemic.” Nope. Inactivity is an epidemic. Obesity is the result of that. And if we can just get these kids moving, it doesn't matter. I don't care if they're good. I don't care if they can throw a ball 30 yards as long as they're trying and they're moving and they're participating. I feel like I've won if I can get them to do that. Anthony Godfrey:I love that approach. There are so many benefits to students, like you said, from just getting out there and moving. And I think they benefit the rest of the day or if they're taking this class early in the day, the rest of their classes, their mind is operating better when they get to get out there and move. Pat Keating:Yeah, yeah. Pack it in the middle. Edges, edges, go up the edges. Anthony Godfrey:So we're down in the gym now and we've got some bright orange pucks and some brightly colored sticks here. Am I supposed to bang it against the floor to kind of get it? Pat Keating:Yeah, sometimes they do that. So we teach the kids the ready position. The top hand is always at the top of the stick, bottom hand is about halfway down. So if you were to lean forward, you kind of can support yourself a little bit with it. When we teach them how to shoot, the first thing the kid wants to do is wind up– Anthony Godfrey:Oh yeah, they want to come way up. Pat Keating:–and then they want to come through. So we eliminate all that. In hockey, that's a slap shot. We won't let them do slap shots. So in here we teach them just a little wrist shot or a little snapshot. So there's no backswing, they just trap the puck. They come forward and they get out to that front foot. See how my body will square up as I turn it. So as I pull forward, then I snap the puck. Anthony Godfrey:Oh wow, you're good at that. Okay, so you lean forward. Pat Keating:Yeah, and then you get it out. Once you get it out, up past your front foot, then you push and snap. Anthony Godfrey:Oh hey, that went farther than I expected it to. It did not go up in the air though, like I wanted it to. Pat Keating:So it's just a push. I tell the kids, it's a push and then snap. So it's pushed and then snap. Anthony Godfrey:Hey, got some air that time. Pat Keating:There you go. Anthony Godfrey:I've got to twist a little bit more though, right? Then the one knee. Pat Keating:Yep, you're just going to put a little pressure on that stick. See that one you slapped and come up through. Anthony Godfrey:I slapped. Pat Keating:Yep. Anthony Godfrey:Dang it. Oh, I didn't think about that. There's a lot to think about. There's a lot to think about. Pat Keating:There's definitely a lot. Anthony Godfrey:That is really fun but you know what? As soon as the puck leaves, I want another puck right there to try it again. Pat Keating:Oh yeah. Anthony Godfrey:You're right. Ijust want to keep trying and make it better and play through the mistakes just like you said. Pat Keating:It is definitely addicting. Once we get these kids going, you'll see how much fun they have with this. Anthony Godfrey:That’s awesome. Stay with us. When we come back more with Patrick Keating and Tricia Rojas. Break:In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org. Anthony Godfrey:So guys, tell me about playing hockey in this class. Student #1:It’s pretty fun. Anthony Godfrey:What do you like about it? Student #1:Shooting the puck. Anthony Godfrey:Shooting the puck. Have you had some goals? Student #1:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Oh yeah? How about for you? What do you like about it? Student #2:Yeah, I love the competition. We have a competitive class, so it's fun. Anthony Godfrey:How long have you been able to stay on the winner's court? How many teams have you blown through? Student #2:We've gone a day without losing a game. Anthony Godfrey:Oh wow, that's awesome. That's great. Tell me about Coach Keating. What's he like? Student #2:He's great. Student #1:He's so fun. Student #2:He's a great teacher. Anthony Godfrey:What do you love about his class? Student #2:I like all the activities that we get to do and he gets to teach us some basic skills for those other teams. Anthony Godfrey:That's awesome. What do you like about Coach Keating? Student #3:What I like about Coach Keating is that he's fun. He's very muscular. Anthony Godfrey:Oh yeah? Student #3:Yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Something to aspire to? Student #3:Yeah, it inspires me to get muscles. Anthony Godfrey:Do you think you can grow as tall as Mr. Keating? Student #3:Yes. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, I believe in you. I think you can do it. Student #3:Thank you. Patrick Keating:Hey, glasses on! Glasses on! Here we go, get ready. Spread out, spread out! Anthony Godfrey:We're up in the room where you do circuit training with students. Just tell us a little bit about this. You've got machines throughout the room. I'm sure this is a very popular spot. Pat Keating:Yeah, so our fitness room, we set it up for circuit training and we've got 25 stations. So the kids will partner up. Two kids do a station. Every station has either a machine and then a secondary exercise. So when one of the kids is on the machine, their partner is out front, either doing push-ups, jumping jacks, jump rope, or whatever the secondary exercise is. We do intervals of about 35 to 40 seconds. The clock will beep, the kids will then switch, the kid on the machine will do the secondary exercise, the kid doing the secondary exercise will go to the machine. The next time it beeps, they move to the next station. We have built-in water breaks about every 12 stations, so the kids know exactly when they can be in the hall and get a water break and when they can't. Anthony Godfrey:So it's very structured, it's cooperative where they're working together, and there's always something for someone to do, so you're making the most of that time. Pat Keating:Yes, there's never any downtime unless they're on a water break. Anthony Godfrey:You know, everyone has been in a PE class over the course of their life at some point or another. Tell me, what are some of the myths about physical education class? What are maybe the misunderstandings? Sometimes because we've all been in school, we think things haven't evolved and things haven't changed. How are physical education classes different now from what they used to be? Pat Keating:Well, I think the big myth is we just roll a cart of balls out and say go. And it can't be farther from the truth. At least not in the middle school setting that I've always taught in. We teach. We teach skills, we teach drills, we teach the rules, we simplify it and stuff. We take out hard rules to learn and stuff so the kids can enjoy the game. We take out offsides in soccer because it would take us a whole month to teach these kids that don't have soccer experience. So we simplify the games and stuff so they can all play it and have a good time and not always be thinking, ‘Oh, is this correct?’ And we'll let them know if it is or isn't. I don't know if you know this, but we have an open gym two days a week after school, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, every Tuesday and Thursday. And we get about 50+ kids every Tuesday and Thursday that come after school and play for an hour. We set up volleyball, we have basketball, badminton, we'll put balance boards out. We'll have all these different activities for these kids to play and they come religiously every single day. And they have a little barcode, they scan in and sign in and stuff. And if they want to make up runs that they've missed or anything for PE, they can come make that up. But they come in and it is such a good program…

Full show notes at the publisher

Episode 235: What You Need to Know About the New Standard Response Protocol During Emergency Situations in Our Schools Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

It will help to keep everyone safe and informed in the event of an emergency in one of our schools or buildings. It’s called Standard Response Protocol or SRP and it provides consistent, clear, shared language, and actions for all students, staff, first responders, and parents. It is language that can be applied to any emergency situation. On this episode of the Supercast, find out why state law now requires all school districts to adopt SRP and how knowing the language is essential to everyone for the sake of safety in our schools. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It will help keep everyone safe and informed in the event of an emergency in one of our schools. It's called Standard Response Protocol, or SRP, and it provides consistent and clear language and actions for all students, staff, first responders and parents. It is language that can be applied in any emergency situation. On this episode of the Supercast, find out why SRP is now being used statewide and why knowing the language is essential to everyone to help keep our schools safe. [Music] Today we are at the South Jordan City Public Safety Building to talk with School Safety Coordinator from Jordan School District, Matt Alvernaz, and Sergeant Eric Anderson, who oversees the school resource officers in our schools for South Jordan City. Gentlemen, thank you very much for taking time to talk with us about the new terminology and the new actions that are in place for schools to take in case of emergency. One of the things that's exciting about this is that everyone in the state is on board now, and this is terminology that's going to mean the same action and means that we take the same action throughout the state, which is really going to help. But before we dive in, just give me a little introduction about yourself. Matt Alvernaz:So I'm Matt Alvernaz. I'm the School Safety Coordinator. Prior law enforcement of 14 years. Before that I did four years with the Army as a ranger in special operations, and now work with the Jordan School District. I was a school resource officer myself, so I do have experience in the schools as well, and it's been an enjoyable transition. And I'm now the trainer of trainers for the standard response protocols for Jordan School District. Anthony Godfrey:Okay, great. Sergeant Eric Anderson:As Anthony said, Sergeant Eric Anderson, I am with the South Jordan City Police Department. I've been with South Jordan for over 22 years. I actually joined in 2001 with every intention of leaving, and I never did. Anthony Godfrey:We're glad you didn’t. Sergeant Eric Anderson:Yes, no, it's been great here. I've worked in investigations- eight years in there, SWAT team 12 years. Like Anthony said, I now manage our SROs, and I'm a myriad of other things, but that's my primary responsibility. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about the unique assignment, both of you, of being an SRO in a school as compared with being an officer in other roles. Sergeant Eric Anderson:There's a different mindset when you step into a school, mainly because you're working with the school staff, as opposed to just working as a law enforcement officer. What that typically means is when something happens in the school that requires police intervention, you really have to kind of put on the brakes before any decisions move forward. And so an example I would give you is vapes. An officer walks into a bathroom, sees some kids using a vape, and they confiscate the vape, take the kids to the school administration, the principal, the VP, and they just discuss what to do with that. You know, does the kid have prior incidents involving the same crime, things of that nature, and then they make a determination on where to go from there. That's different from the patrol aspect. On patrol, you would just most likely issue a citation for a tobacco violation or THC violation of that. So that's really the main difference is you're taking that partnership with the district, with the administration, to decide on what's best for that kid. Matt Alvernaz:Police in the schools has become the earliest form of proactive policing. Really getting ahead of decision-making before crimes occur years in the future. To help these kids have a better relationship with law enforcement and to help make better decisions in education and having that exposure there. So the degree of discretion while you're in the schools kind of broadens. It's not so much black and white. Patrol guys have discretion as well, but it's more, there's the enforcement mindset to it. This is more of a development and correction mindset. Like he said, you know, pump the brakes and take a different approach because these are kids, and we want them to be successful. So we're going to proactively partner schools with law enforcement to help these kids make good decisions and become better people. Anthony Godfrey:I agree with all that, and to me a key component is the relationship. The relationship that you develop with students means actually you get information about what kids need and what's happening in the school so you can prevent issues and solve problems in advance. And that's where I've seen it be really effective is I'm impressed with the level of relationship officers are able to develop with students and how helpful that is in creating a safe and productive and positive environment for everyone. To me an essential component of keeping schools safe is a close working relationship with our municipalities and police departments in particular. Tell us about the relationship between Jordan District and South Jordan Police from your perspective. Sergeant Eric Anderson:So yeah, no, I agree 100% with that. You know, going back to working with Lance Everill, who you replaced, Matt. So yeah, even from that, just that communication is huge. The training aspects are huge. Being able to be on the same page as far as all this goes when it comes down to terminology and how each school is going to react to an incident, whether it be minor or an urgent emergency. So it's really important that we're all on the same page. Matt Alvernaz:Yeah, all this training and everything we're doing is very much a collaborative effort. When I'm trying to conduct trainings or put things together for safety concerns, I talk to the law enforcement agencies, our agencies we're here with, especially South Jordan. For example, we have a meeting later today. They're going to help me vet some ideas that we have on different safety options. So that working relationship is huge to keep the communication going with the public as well. Help to build trust with the students in the community, with us as education and in law enforcement. It's been an ongoing effort, but for me, moving into it, I tell you, it's been pretty seamless. This relationship has been here and it's been strong. Anthony Godfrey:Well, you've done a tremendous job, and South Jordan has always been a wonderful partner. So it's really great to have your officers in our schools, and I think they're a much better place for it. Much safer and a very positive, productive environment as a result. Before we go through the five protocols, I just want to mention at the top of the poster, and you'll see this on the website if you follow the link in the show notes, it says, "In an emergency, take action." That's the main thing. People get kind of paralyzed when an emergency comes or when there's an announcement or a drill. So we are going to be continuing to drill these in our schools to be sure that people are ready to take action in case of an emergency. Matt Alvernaz:Absolutely. I was going to say that we are drilling. We've increased the amount of drilling we're doing. We're doing monthly trainings for the schools on each of these drills, and then the schools are then turning around and implementing those into it. So we can expect that communication home for parents to hear about these things. Kids coming home saying, "Hey, we did this new drill. We've never heard of it." And so an idea of each month as we do this, it becomes standard, as it's called, and we know what to do, and new parents know what to expect, and the kids know what to expect, and it continues to progress from there. Sergeant Eric Anderson:I'm going to double down on what you said, Anthony, of freezing. I mean, if you think of the three Fs, fight, flight, or freeze, freeze is absolutely the worst thing you can do. When you do nothing, that's when things can exponentially get worse. So I'm just going to double down on what you said there. Anthony Godfrey:So the fact that these are actions and protocols and you do something under each of these is important to remember. Sergeant Eric Anderson:Take action. Take action is a great explanative at the top of the sign. Anthony Godfrey:Stay with us when we come back more about SRP, our standard response protocol. Break:Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect. Anthony Godfrey:Now let's talk about the standard response protocol. This is a statewide list of actions we take in case of emergency and new terminology associated with those actions. There are five protocols, hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate, and shelter. Let's start with hold. Tell me what hold means and when we would use that. Matt Alvernaz:Hold is a new one that's been added. It's something that's going to be unfamiliar to a lot of students and parents at home. It's basically just calling a time-out. Any time that the school needs to say, "Hey, we don't care what the bell's about to ring or what's about to happen, we're just going to tell everybody to stay in your class, stay in your area, just hold." Maybe there's debris or something in the hallway, you know, a pipe breaks, and we need to keep students away from that. Maybe there's a medical emergency, we need to keep the hallways clear for responders. Or any other reason that the school decides, "Hey, you know what? Let's just call a time-out and keep everybody in class." It could last five minutes, it could be a little bit longer, but typically it's not something that's going to be prolonged, but it's just a good tool that can be used in conjunction with any of these other response options as well. Anthony Godfrey:So under Hold, and each protocol has a list of actions for students and for adults. Students clear the hallways, and remain in their room until the all-clear is announced. They continue with business as usual, and adults are responsible to close and lock the door, account for students and adults, and also continue with business as usual. Matt Alvernaz:Correct, and the big difference on this is it's not like an emergency where there's an attacker or a threat that's actively coming after people. So students can be let in and out of these locked doors. They can be, you know, it's low-key. It's more just like, "Hey, we're just dealing with something." Everybody just kind of pause for a second. Anthony Godfrey:Let's talk about secure. Matt Alvernaz:Yeah, so secure has been around, but we've known it as lockout. We've changed that terminology because lockout gets confused with lockdown. Lockdown's a little bit more intense of a protocol and response so we've seen inadvertent panic, we've seen confusion. What exactly is lockout? Or people, you know, slip of the tongue, meaning to say lockout but saying lockdown. Anthony Godfrey:Okay. Matt Alvernaz:So we've changed that to secure. Secure means that there's a threat or a hazard of some nature outside the building. We're securing the inside. We're just going to lock the exterior doors and windows. We're going to keep everything out. We're going to modify the access. So depending on what the reason is, maybe there's a wild animal outside. We want to bring the students in. We want to lock the outside doors. We don't want this animal to get in. We don't want the students to get hurt. As maybe a parent doesn't know, they come to the door. We can modify that access and allow them in. Maybe we do have information of police activity nearby that's unrelated to the school, but something that could pose a hazard or a threat to the school potentially. We're just going to, again, we're going to lock it down. We're going to secure it, and we're not going to let anybody in because we don't know what that threat is until we have better communication with law enforcement. Which, again, goes back to our partnership because we typically know exactly what's going on as we need to know it. Anthony Godfrey:And secure is often going to be put in place just as a precaution. If there's police activity anywhere near a school, “Hey, just in case, let's keep kids inside.” It doesn't necessarily mean that there's a serious incident where you're worried about harm to students, it's just a precaution. Sergeant Eric Anderson:That's correct. The best example I gave you was actually not too long ago. We had a person flee from us in a vehicle near Bingham High School, and so the SRO at that school overheard this on the radio. At the time, we were still using the old lockdown/lockout terminology. He asked them to go into lockout mode. They actually went into lockdown mode, exactly what Matt said. There was some confusion there, which scared kids, which ended up resulting in a lot of texts going out to parents. But it was really just to make sure if that vehicle that was fleeing from law enforcement had stopped, crashed, or anything near the school, that individual or individuals wouldn't have access to the school. Anthony Godfrey:And that's a good example of why secure is a good term in place of previous lockout. So, secure, get inside, lock outside doors for students. The instructions are return to inside of the building, continue with business as usual, and for adults, bring everyone indoors, lock the outside doors, increase situational awareness, and account for students and adults. So, that's hold and secure now. Now we move to lockdown. Matt Alvernaz:Lockdown is definitely, we've progressed now. There's a threat inside the building, or at least we believe there to be a threat inside the building. In this case, we don't need to worry about securing the outside, because we already believe the threat is inside. So, we're going to lock all the doors inside. We're going to lock and secure there. We're going to do as it says here, "locks lights out of sight." And that's huge. We need to make sure that students know to be aware that they need to darken and silence their cell phones. Now, we're not trying to prevent communication at home, because we do actually encourage that. We want that. But we want it to be in a way that's safe, and that we can keep cell towers clear enough for those who need to use it, emergency responders and whatnot. And then wherever it might be, whate…

Full show notes at the publisher

Episode 234: High School Sophomores Turn 4 Years Old, Long-Time Teacher Turns Sweet 16, Celebrating Leap Year Birthdays Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

They are twins attending West Jordan High School in their sophomore year and they are turning 4 years old. At Antelope Canyon Elementary School a long-time second grade teacher is finally turning sweet 16.

On this episode of the Supercast, we find out what it’s like to have a leap year birthday. A birthday that comes around just once every four years on February 29, when the year is actually 366 days long, instead of the regular 365. Are leap year birthday folks forever young, let’s find out.

Audio Transcription [Music]

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are twins attending West Jordan High School in their sophomore year, and they are only having their fourth birthday. At Antelope Canyon Elementary School, a longtime second-grade teacher is finally celebrating her 16th birthday.

On this episode of the Supercast, we find out what it's like to have a leap year birthday. A birthday that comes around just once every four years on February 29th, when the year is actually 366 days long instead of the regular 365. Are leap year birthday folks forever young? Let's find out as we talk to them today on their actual leap year birthday.

[Music]

Come right in here. Let's do the birthday interview today. And we actually have from the Nutrition Services staff here at West Jordan High School a little birthday cake for each of you with some balloons. So happy birthday to the three of you. Alright grab some cake and let's talk about this birthday of yours. We're here at West Jordan High School with two students and a teacher who share February 29th as their birthday. And because the podcast comes out on Thursdays, we thought we'd talk with them today on the day of their birthday and celebrate with them and talk a little bit about what it's like to have kind of a non-day as your birthday. So let's have the twins introduce themselves first.

Luke Pearson:
I'm Luke Pearson.

Melanie Pearson:
And I'm Melanie Pearson.

Lucinda Preece:
And Lucinda Preece.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Lucinda you teach at Antelope Canyon. How long have you been teaching in Jordan District?

Lucinda Preece:
39 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
39 years, wow. Nearly four decades of teaching. Yeah, we love that you've been here.

Lucinda Preece:
Lots of birthdays here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, that's right. But a lot fewer than I've had, right? How many birthdays have you had?

Lucinda Preece:
I've had 16 official birthdays.

Anthony Godfrey:
16 official birthdays.

Lucinda Preece:
Sweet 16.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've had 16 birthdays and the two of you are turning 16 today, is that correct?

Melanie Pearson:
Yes, but officially it's our fourth birthday, like big day birthday.

Anthony Godfrey:
For your fourth birthday, you're turning 16. She's had 16 birthdays. Worlds are colliding right now. Now here's the first thing. I don't know exactly what to call you. Do you have names for yourselves because you share this birthday? Are you leapers? Are you leaplings? What exactly is the proper term? Does anybody know?

Lucinda Preece:
I don't. I've heard on the radio, leapers is kind of a big thing right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Leapers? It sounds a little close to leper though.

Lucinda Preece:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
I don't know if that's really what you want. I'm going to go with leapling. So tell me how does it feel to be a leapling? Tell me what that's like.

Melanie Pearson:
I don't know. For me it just kind of feels the same. I don't know. I've never known anything different. But it's cool because people can remember your birthday easier. I don't know. They're like, “Oh yeah, you're born on leap days.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. So people do remember your birthday more frequently. And you've got your twin brother here so you at least have someone to share it with. How about for you? What is it like for you?

Luke Pearson:
It is kind of nice because people always remember my birthday.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not anything that impactful in your life. So how about for you? Have you met before today? Have you met other leaplings?

Lucinda Preece:
You know, one year I actually had a student in my class who was a leap-year baby. And it was a leap year so we celebrated together with the class. I felt really lucky that that happened.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, you met them in a leap year. That's awesome. So let's talk about other years. Today we get to celebrate with you. But what do you do in other years when you don't have a birthday? Do you celebrate it all? Or do you just save it up so that every four years it feels particularly special?

Luke Pearson:
Well usually on the 28th we just have a party and stuff.

Melanie Pearson:
We kind of just treat the 28th like it's our birthday. I don't think my parents would want to deprive us of it. “No, we need to save some extra money so…” I'm just kidding.

Lucinda Preece:
I actually grew up celebrating mine on March 1st. Just figuring it was whatever day would have been the day after the 28th. So that's why we just have always had March 1st. It's been kind of fun because I feel like on the non-leap years people aren't really sure what day so I kind of get two days. Do you notice that too? Yeah, and then I always did March 1st but then since Facebook came about it just sticks me on the 28th so I started getting all of these birthday wishes on the 28th so woohoo, kind of stretch it out there. Do you find that too?

Anthony Godfrey:
You said the same thing happens for you.

Melanie Pearson:
Like last year lots of people knew my birthday was the 29th but on the 28th they told me happy birthday but then some people were like on March 1st they told me. So it was like a two-day celebration. It's pretty fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you deserve that since you don't get any day some years so hopefully that starts to help make up for it. I did a little research. In 1712 in Sweden when they were switching from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar it was actually a February 30th. So I felt really bad for those people.

So if you were in Sweden born in 1712 on February 30th you really only had one birthday and that was the day that you were actually born so that would have been too bad. So see it could be worse, it could be worse. How about capitalizing leap year? Nobody capitalizes leap year. Does that feel like something that should be happening?

Melanie Pearson:
I don't know.

Lucinda Preece:
I do have a leap year shirt on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh let's see.

Lucinda Preece:
Yeah, and I actually bought three because I couldn't decide on one. I think it says February 29th birthday something about being so awesome that the world could only handle it once every four years.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like it. I like it. That’s awesome.

Lucinda Preece:
So somebody made money on capitalizing

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s awesome. Well, it is very rare. We have nearly 58,000 students in Jordan School District and there are only 43 students who have a birthday today, and you're two of them. So there just aren't very many. And we have 9,000 employees and we only have 11 employees out of those 9,000 who have a birthday today.

Lucinda Preece:
Amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is pretty rare.

Lucinda Preece:
I'll thank my mom.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what plans do you guys have for today? Do you have big birthday plans today or this weekend?

Luke Pearson:
We're probably going to have our family come over later today. And then probably, I don't know, we'd probably hang out with our friends but I might go to–

Melanie Pearson:
St. George.

Luke Pearson:
Yeah, St. George with my dad because he wants to go to a four-wheeling thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for you?

Melanie Pearson:
I don't know. Just hanging out with my family and maybe my friends this weekend. I don't know. Nothing too special.

Lucinda Preece:
We're kinda the same. Dinner with family tonight and then lunch with some friends on Saturday.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well that sounds fantastic. Now are there leap day sales? Leap into savings? Is this like a big day for– I mean, I think companies find any excuse that they can to try to email us about a sale coming up.

There's a leap year movie with Amy Adams about the Irish tradition where supposedly women ask men. Women propose to men on leap day as an Irish tradition. So that's a movie based on that, and there's also 30 Rock. Anyone who watches 30 Rock, there's the one where they have a mascot for leap day. Kind of like the Easter Bunny but for leap day. It's a very odd kind of wacky episode.

So it's hard for me to remember all of my 54 birthdays but because you've only had four, is there one that stands out for you?

Melanie Pearson:
No, not really. I don't know. It's kind of just always a party. I don't know.

Lucinda Preece:
I've had a lot but I just kind of enjoy every one of them. I think one year– I usually don't take it off for school because it's a fun time to celebrate with the kids. So we've done like leapfrog things before you know for leaping and then that one that I had with my student was pretty special.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I imagine elementary students have a really good time with February 29th. I kind of get to really be a kid again so that's fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wondered about this when you're filling out a form. Is it in the drop down menu that asks for your birthday? Does it say February 29th ever? My birthday's in June so I have no idea. Or do you just have to put the 28th or March 1st? Do you just have to choose a different birthday?

Luke Pearson:
You usually have to put the year and then it'll show up as the 29th option. So like if you just try to pick 29th sometimes it's just not there until you put the year into the...

Melanie Pearson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh okay. So 16 years ago, what year were you born then?

Luke Pearson:
2008.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in 2008 it was a leap year.

Lucinda Preece:
And I find the same thing when I try to put a date in. I have to go forward to the year and then I was like “Oh yeah, you're right. Okay you were born on the 29th.”

Anthony Godfrey:
So it gives you the option based on the year. Okay that's great. Tell us a little bit more about yourselves here at West Jordan High School. You’re sophomores at West Jordan? How soon is the driving going to start now that you've turned 16?

Melanie Pearson:
Whenever they reach out for roads they're a little behind here. So whenever we can do our road tests and stuff we'll get it. I'm very excited to drive but they're a little behind.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now do you have–

Lucinda Preece:
I've been driving a long time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, you've been driving a long time so you're all set. So they turned 16. This is your 16th birthday. Do you have any wisdom to share after all of these February 29th?

Lucinda Preece:
I would just say suck it in on those years that it's for real, but even the non years take those in because you know you have two or three days people just kind of celebrate you. And the uniqueness for conversation. That's pretty fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I don't think I've ever met anyone with a birthday on February 29th so I really appreciate your spending your birthday and leap day with me here this morning and I wish you a very happy birthday and a handful more birthdays to come.

Lucinda Preece:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you to Colbie Summarell and Allison Morgan from Nutrition Services here at West Jordan High School for baking these cakes for these students and this teacher on leap day on their birthday. We really appreciate your support.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today even if today only comes around every four years. We'll see you out there.

[music]

Episode 233: Joel P. Jensen Middle School Celebrates 40 Year Birthday with Big Bash Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

It was an evening of fun traveling back in time to 1984 when Joel P. Jensen Middle School first opened its doors. Joel P. Jensen recently threw a big birthday bash to commemorate four decades of being a part of the community. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the 80’s style party where everyone was having fun celebrating 40 years of history, making memories, building friendships, and educating students. Audio Transcription [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was an evening of fun traveling back in time to 1984 when Joel P. Jensen Middle School first opened its doors. Joel P. Jensen recently threw a big birthday bash to commemorate four decades of being at the heart of their community. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the 80s style party where everyone was having fun celebrating 40 years of history, making memories, building friendships, and educating students. [Music] We are here at Joel P. Jensen celebrating 40 years of Joel P. Jensen. It's an exciting time. Introduce yourselves and tell me about your relationship with Joel P. Jensen, the middle school, not the man, and how long you have been here. Aaron Hunter:Aaron Hunter, principal, off and on at Joel P. for a decade, 10 years. Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about the offs and the ons. Aaron Hunter:So I started my admin career in Jordan District at Joel P. I was an assistant principal here for six and a half years and then two years ago came back as principal. Anthony Godfrey:A triumphant return to everyone's delight that they got to have Aaron Hunter back in their lives. Aaron Hunter:It's a great place to be. Anthony Godfrey:And you have done a great job of promoting Joel P. Jensen and the great things that are happening here, which we'll get back to in just a moment. But let's take a trip through memory lane and talk with a couple of employees who've been here for a while. Deb Atkinson:I'm Deb Atkinson. I'm the head secretary. I've been here for a really, really long time. This is 26 and a half years so far. Anthony Godfrey:26 and a half years. Deb Atkinson:I had one little break in between where I got bumped to the district office and I was in Info Systems for 13 months and then I interviewed and came back to my school. Anthony Godfrey:You knew where you needed to be. Okay, we'll get back to some stories from you. Tell me about your time here at Joel P. Jensen. Suzie:My name is Suzie. I started 25 years ago. I started in the ISS room. Steve Crowther hired me. I was there for a while then they asked me to be a hall monitor. I was that until we went under numbers. So then they said that I had to not do a hall monitor, but I didn't want to leave because I liked Joel P. so much, so I stayed as a tracker. And then when numbers went back up, I came back to the hall monitor and then they went to the part-time stuff. I hung out with that and then I kind of retired until this lovely gentleman over here called me and said would you come back? For some reason, I said yes, probably because I love Joel P. So I came back and so I've been back for the last year and a half. Anthony Godfrey:So this is really a pattern for all three of you. You leave, you come back. And for you you leave and you come back and you leave and you come back. Suzie:Yeah, it was like I can't describe it. There's– Joel P. is just different. The kids are different. I love it. I missed it. I tried somewhere else a long time ago and it's just not the same. Anthony Godfrey:As Al Pacino says ‘They keep pulling you back in.’ Suzie:He pulled me back in and she's amazing so to work with. The two of them have just been– it's just really cool. It's a good relationship. I really like it and the kids. I mean there are no other kids like Joel P. kids. They just climb into your heart and they hang out there. And then they come back and see you, and then they bring their kids to register which makes him feel older. I'm fine. Anthony Godfrey:So you've had multiple generations of kids here at Joel P. Jensen that you've worked with. Deb Atkinson:Some this year that we have the parents that were like “Hey, I remember you. You were here.” Suzie:And then they go “These are our kids” and then they go “and you're still here.” Anthony Godfrey:But see if they can remember you after 25 years that's a really high compliment to you that you've been able to be recognizable after that many years. Tell me what is it about Joel P. Jensen kids that you love, and I'm going to have each of you answer that. What is it that makes this place special when it comes to the students? Suzie:There are so many different– just diversity in these kids but they all get along together. They're just– to me, it's just, I don't know. You walk into Joel P. and it's so different but they're so much the same. They're like no other kids. I don't know. I can't explain it. They need you. Joel P. kids need you and Joel P. kids let you know that they truly need you. You come in here and I see all these mini-me's because I struggled. I mean I went to Kearns High and I was not the best student. I’ll own it. That's why I'm really good at what I do. But the kids that are here– I mean, you walk in and you know they care and you know they need you. These kids just crawl into your heart and they stay there. We've gone through a lot of admin together me and Deb. We've had a lot of teachers we've gone through. And some of the admin crawl into your heart and they stay, but Joel P. you're just– I don't know I can't describe it but we keep coming back. It's like you can feel truly that they need you and it just– I get a little emotional about it so it's Deb’s turn. Deb Atkinson:Well, I just love the fact that they're so unpredictable. So when you feel that you've seen whatever one student is going to do, you’re like “Okay I've seen it all now” and then they come up with another fun thing that you're going like “Okay, this is why I come back every day because they make it great.” Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, it's true, if anywhere in the district is full of surprises it's middle schools. You never know what your day is going to bring. I miss middle– I started out as a middle school teacher at Bingham Middle School and then at West Hills. I love the middle school age and like you said Joel P. Jensen is unique even within the middle school group because of the the kids that you have here and the real sense of belonging that you create here. I've known that for a long time. Tell me about the students here Aaron. Aaron Hunter:Yeah, it's been said, but it really is a special place. People laugh when I say it's the best school in the state, but I really, truly do believe that. I think a lot of our kids outside of West Jordan are misunderstood. I think people– there's a certain stigma outside of our area of Joel P. and it's all wrong. I can tell you that 100 percent. Most of them need caring adults and that's why relationships are number one in our hearts. That's what drives our work here is those good relationships. There's nothing better than in June when they come back with a graduation announcement or “Hey, I'm working at Jiffy Lube”. You know, just great news of “Hey, you spent time, you took time out of your day to care about me and it means a lot.” Anthony Godfrey:Well, what I found, and this is very true of Joel P. Jensen, is that schools like this draw those caring adults because you don't survive if you don't care about kids. And so over time, over 40 years, the faculty just continues to attract caring adults that care at a deep level and make a personal connection with students like all of you have described. It's really rewarding to see as a Superintendent a school that functions like that. Stay with us. When we come back more fun memories celebrating four decades of Joel P. Jensen Middle School. Break:Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect. [Music] Anthony Godfrey:Tell me about the faculty and the people who've worked here over the years. You've been here off and on over the last decade. We'll come back to Deb and Suzie. I'm sure they have a lot of stories about the people who've passed through here. Tell me about about those caring adults that you've worked with. Aaron Hunter:Well, you hit the nail on the head. I've been here a decade-ish, the teachers that stay are the teachers that– I don't want to say are the teachers that care because I think every teacher cares. I think everybody that goes into education, they care about kids. Anthony Godfrey:But there's an intense need for that different level of relationship here. If that's something that you're ready for then this is the type of place where you want to be. Aaron Hunter:Yep, and we and we foster that because this is a– I don't even want to say difficult. It's just our kids have different needs here. And so because of that fostering that sense of family is very important. I can't speak for everybody that works here, but I know me as a principal, my number one priority is to make sure that our teachers feel that they're supported to be their best selves. Because like you said middle school is hard. Joel P is sometimes hard and so we have that family aspect here where we can rely on each other. We can cry on each other's shoulders. We can get mad at each other. But at the end of the day, it's all because we love and care about kids. Our kids are never going to do the best on the state test scores and I fully know that as principal. But I can tell you one thing, they leave here knowing that they're fully taken care of and cared for. Anthony Godfrey:I like what you said about taking care of each other. It’s adults looking out for each other as well and supporting each other as you support the students. How about for you Deb? Deb Atkinson:Well, I think the faculty and staff they kind of have more of a family atmosphere where it's like we're all one group and we're all working together for the same goal. So that's what draws me to it. That's why I wanted to come back so bad because I just love the whole atmosphere, the people I work with. It was just great here, so that's why I wanted to come back. And I still love it. Anthony Godfrey:There must be hundreds of faculty members you've worked with over 25 years. Deb Atkinson:Oh yeah. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, that's really exciting. How about for you? What do you think Suzie? Suzie:Faculty-wise, if you stop and think about it, we had Connie Bailey here she was a PE teacher. Anthony Godfrey:Oh wow. Suzie:Who's now an admin. Cynthia VanderMeiden. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah. Suzie:She was a teacher here and then Todd was here for a while. We had Joanne Ackerman. She was a teacher and then an admin. Oh my gosh. Tim Heumann. I mean and the stories. Oh my goodness. He was a science teacher. Yep, yep. We'll just go on to the next one. Tim was a blast. Love, love Tim. So yeah, I mean we've gone through a lot. We were talking about that. We figured 25 maybe admin, teachers are just tons, and then you figure kids average a thousand a year. That was 26,000 kids. It's just– I don't know it's always just been that unique school. It's like I said when I came back. I wanted to be in a place where I wished I had– I wanted to be what I wished I had when I was at school. And that was my goal to make sure. Then you see teachers struggle here, so we do things like sneak down and put stuff on their desks and don't tell them where it came from. Just something that you know they like. You know when I was a hall monitor, I would go help them out with their lovely students, my mini-me’s, that would be in there because you just support each other. There's no place like it. It's just really weird. I get to look back at Connie Bailey you know and Cynthia, remember those days with them, and boy the stories that you could go on for those. Me and Deb were thinking we could probably write a book one day when we retire officially and we don't come back. Anthony Godfrey:Well you never know that it will be permanent it sounds like. You could never count on that. Luckily, luckily you keep coming back. Suzie:I don't think so. I don't think it'll be permanent. As long as he's here and she's here for right now. They keep my sanity. I had a rough couple of years and they brought me back so you know it is what it is. You know, these kids that pop back in and see you and some of the teachers I run into, and then they say “Do you remember?” and I'm like “I do not recall that”. Anthony Godfrey:Yeah, you can only store so many stories up there. That's right. So when you're in this area of the district just driving around stopping for gas, shopping, whatever, I'm sure you run into some of those 25,000 people everywhere you go. Aaron Hunter:All the time. Yeah, all the time. Jordan Landing, O'Reilly Auto Parts down the street. And what's the most rewarding part of the job for me is, like I said, the goal is for our kids to at least reach it to high school and graduate. That's the goal. Unfortunately, for some of our kids, that doesn't happen. But it doesn't make it any less rewarding to see the kid working at O'Reilly that didn't graduate but is still a productive member of society and is doing his part. And “Hey Mr. Hunter do you remember me?” I mean, of course, I remember. You were in my office 70,000 times. So yeah, that's why we do what we do. I was told the other day that we think about these kids often but the kids that we impact think about us 10 times more than we think about them. That's pretty powerful. Anthony Godfrey:And you know, you're looking at how you can support them academically, of course, that's a very important goal. But you're supporting them in all kinds of other ways. How to manage the difficulties in their lives and how to find a pathway forward. Hopefully, that pathway includes graduation from high school, but credits are not the only thing that you take away from school when you have caring adults looking out for you. I think it's a great compliment when people say “Hey, remember me?” It's because they want to go back to those times and remember those times when they see you. That's because you've created memories and you've made the most of those moments with them. Aaron Hunter:Yep, yep, sure. Yeah, I mean like you said, as principal academics are obviously important. That's the number one reason you come to school is to learn. We tell kids that all the time. But the number two reason you come is to hang out with your friends and establish relationships. A lot of times with our kids that means more to them than the academic piece and that's why we love working here. Anthony Godfrey:Well, the sense of community makes the academics possible. Suzie:I live in West Jordan, closer than you think. So I live real close to West Jordan in a sense and I'm very very protective of Joel P.…

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