Supercast

Transcription coming soon.

Heidi Jacobson:
They're heroes, honestly. Carter's like, "I'm not a hero.” He just did what he thought was right.

Cammerin Inselsberger:
My buddy Gabriel came outside and said, "Hey, there's a fire down the street." And then I remember Carter looking distinctly at me and said, "Well, come on, let's go do something."

Zera Gonzales:
We truly saw our sense of community in our neighborhood, especially with our boys again. We're so willing and selfless and risked so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are students at Copper Hills High who recently risked their own lives by breaking down a front door and running into a burning home, hoping to save the lives of others. On this episode of the Supercast, join us as we take you inside the big surprise where the students received a military-style Honor of Excellence Award for going above and beyond and being exemplary citizens.

Anthony Godfrey:
We take you now to the ceremony honoring the boys who saved two dogs.

Female Voice:
We would like to reunite you this morning with Rocky and Simba, who you saved, and we'd have the Gonzales family come on in with the animals. They want to thank you.

Matt Alvernaz:
My name is Matt Alvernaz. I'm the Safety and Security Director for the Jordan School District. During my 20 years of combined service in both the military and law enforcement, I've had the privilege of taking part in the longstanding tradition of the Challenge Coin. The Challenge Coin is something that is given as a token of appreciation and respect for those who go above and beyond the regular everyday expectations of society. Each of these coins, as we give them out there, they're unique and there's only so many made. So once you're given one, then hang on to it. They’re never going to be made again. There's something that gets collected and it's something that's honored among the uniform services and the tradition I want to carry out and give to you guys. So these coins, they're honored in a way of a traditional handoff and it's given through a handshake. Everything on this coin means something. If you guys want to go over what they all represent, you can do that. So I want to congratulate you guys in the traditional way.

Boys:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with the three students who saved the two dogs from the fire in West Jordan City. Thank you very much for taking time. Will you introduce yourself and tell us your name, grade, and what programs you're in?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
My name is Cammerin Inselsberger. I am a senior at Copper Hills High School and I am in no current programs, but I was in diesel tech.

Carter Jacobson:
I'm Carter Jacobson. I go to Copper Hills. I am a senior as well and I'm in the diesel program at J Tech.

Gabriel Hernandez:
I'm Gabriel Hernandez and I'm a senior at Copper Hills and I'm also in the J Tech diesel program.

Anthony Godfrey:
So did you know each other before the diesel program or is that how you met?

Carter Jacobson:
No, we knew each other before. I knew Cammerin for like three years. He kind of introduced me to it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why don't you talk me through what happened, everything from spotting the fire to going in and saving the dogs?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
We were doing yard work out back at my house and then we went. My buddy Gabriel came outside and said, "Hey, there's a fire down the street." And then I remember Carter looking distinctly at me and said, "Well, come on, let's go do something." And so I jumped the fence. They ran around and we just ended up down the street and just seeing if anybody was there that was getting hurt or something.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you first arrived, what did you think? Did you think that maybe there was somebody in the house?

Gabriel Hernandez:
We did after we saw the truck in the driveway and the neighbor in front of the house telling us that they haven't checked on the house yet. They just saw the fire. So we went to the window to see if there was somebody inside and we kept banging on the door. Nobody answered and Carter sees a little dog running across the hallway.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was enough to decide.

Gabriel Hernandez:
That was more than enough.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are dogs in there and we need to get in there.

Gabriel Hernandez:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I watched on the camera how you approached the door. Tell me about working on getting in the front door.

Carter Jacobson:
I think my buddy's dead. Cammerin’s dead. He tried to shoulder the door first. And then I think they were thinking about breaking down the window, but I was like, "I'm just going to try to kick the door." Donkey kicked it. And so it started working. The bottom of the door cracked. I didn't let game everyone else's motivation to keep going. We kicked it down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you kicked it facing the door and then the donkey kick turned around.

Carter Jacobson:
I knew kicking it forward wouldn't work anymore. And then kicking it like a donkey kick would be more better because my foot’s more like flush to the door. I don't know. It was just something I thought about.

Anthony Godfrey:
In the moment you just thought about trying something different. What I was impressed with is that you didn't say, "Well, he tried to shoulder. I tried to kick it in. It didn't work." You just kept going and kept trying to be sure that you got in.

Carter Jacobson:
Yeah, it was either that or the window.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you got in, you still didn't know whether it was just dogs or whether there was someone in there who had maybe passed out or whatever. So what did you do once you got in?

Gabriel Hernandez:
I ran straight for the bathroom thinking it was a bedroom and then the propane tank caught fire and shot fire right through the window.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. What went through your mind at that moment?

Gabriel Hernandez:
I should get out of there.

Anthony Godfrey:
So where were the dogs when you got in?

Carter Jacobson:
I think they were... So when we walked in, Gabriel went to the bathroom and I saw the dog dart towards the kitchen. So when I walked in, they were just sitting in the laundry room, curled up in the corner. The big dog was kind of laying in front of the smaller dog protecting it.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you approached the dogs, did you have to carry them out or were you able to help them out?

Carter Jacobson:
No, we had to carry them out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did they let you approach?

Carter Jacobson:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wondered whether in that moment they might be afraid and might not be cooperative as you're trying to say that.

Cammerin Inselsberger:
Yeah, they were mostly cowered down in the corner of the laundry room and so they didn't try to fight back or anything. So it's not like either of us three got hurt by the dogs because they knew something was up and so it was more so just letting us take them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Describe what it looked like inside the house. What was that like?

Carter Jacobson:
It was more... I feel like it was quiet. It was more calm before the storm because when we got in there, the side of the house was on fire. It wasn't as intense. But as soon as we got out, the rest of the house started catching on fire and the smoke detectors went off.

Anthony Godfrey:
How soon after you left the house did the fire department arrive?

Carter Jacobson:
I would say a minute after. A couple of minutes after. It was more hectic for them to get in because people were trying to drive down and see the fire and walk down so there was a lot of people blocking the street.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now the fire department said that you were helpful because you were first on scene. What was some of the information that you shared with them that was helpful?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
We saw that their propane tank started catching fire from the trailers because there was a trailer and there was one propane tank on it and there was another one on the ground. But there were also two in the back of the trailer so we were able to tell them that we saw the fire start in the back area of the house next to the house that we're in now.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they were able to see, they were able to better understand what happened because you were there. One of the things that we've trained our employees on over the years is that when you come up on an emergency you don't wait for someone else to come. You jump in and you do everything that you can. A lot of times people wait for an expert, you know, someone is bleeding or someone is hurt and they wait until someone else comes to do it because they're afraid of making a mistake. But I'm so impressed with the courage that you showed jumping in and just doing what needed to be done. Can you remember what was running through your mind as you went into the house?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
Honestly, I can't remember anything. That adrenaline hit and I just, I remember going to the door, banging on the door, ringing the ring doorbell like 20 times. And then we got in and then that was it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long did it take for the adrenaline to dissipate?

Cammerin Inselsberger:
I don't think it did until I went to bed that night.

Zera Gonzales:
I have my dog saved. Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel to be recognized like this today?

Boys:
Grateful.
Just proud that we did something good.
Makes me look back at the community, see what else we need help with and what we can improve with.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you for being a great example to other students and really to everyone who served this story and thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Stay with us when we come back. We'll talk with the family whose dogs were saved.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Female Voice:
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 for 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:
We're talking now with the family of the two dogs that were rescued. Introduce yourself.

Zera Gonzales:
Hi, yes, my name is Zera Gonzales.

Anthony Godfrey:
Zara, tell me about how it felt for your family. First of all, to learn that there was a fire, how's your house, and then to learn that the dogs were okay.

Zera Gonzales:
Truly, it was devastating. Obviously, something that was never expected to happen to us. But we truly saw our sense of community in our neighborhood, especially with our boys again, that were so willing and selfless and risked so much to enter our home. They're the very first ones that entered and saved both of our dogs, which are a big part of our family and it means so much to us. But yeah, it was such a relieving feeling knowing that coming onto the site, still seeing our home being up in flames, but knowing that both of our dogs were out safe and with the boys.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm just glad that your family is safe and the dogs are safe. Tell me about your home and what happens next for you.

Zera Gonzales:
So essentially our home is unsalvageable. We've been told that it needs to be pretty much fully reconstructed. We are still waiting, it's a waiting game at the moment. We're still waiting to hear back from insurance and that whole process of hopefully down the line will be a lot sooner than anticipated. But yeah, it is a waiting game and we're just hoping that everything will smooth out later on. We're currently living right across the street in the neighbor's home. He's renting it out and that's our long-term rental for now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. I can't even imagine what you're going through. Tell me about your... Tell me about the first time you had the opportunity to talk with the boys who'd saved — is it Rocky and Simba? Is that right?

Zera Gonzales:
That is correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll talk with Rocky and Simba in a moment, but tell me what it was like to first meet the boys who saved them.

Zera Gonzales:
Yeah, well first of all, we pretty much first saw through our ring camera who were the individuals knocking down on the door, and we noticed that it was the neighbors. They live a couple houses down. And again, we just did not expect that they would be the ones that were first on site and breaking down the door to save our dogs. But it was such a relieving feeling and again, being so thankful to them right after knowing that they were the ones that entered the home. While the firefighters are still trying to put out the fire, we were able to talk to them and be like, "Hey, again, we're so eternally grateful to you guys because our family's whole because of you."

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the way you said that and you have a lot to deal with. What a devastating situation. But it's good to know that you have people around you that are going to support you through a difficulty like this. It's really a test of the community.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes, it truly is. Again, we've only been living in our home — we were heading towards two years. Just knowing that those individuals took that initiative and acted out and were able to be the ones that entered our home again, it was such a relieving feeling. And we're, again, eternally grateful.

Anthony Godfrey:
What about Rocky? Rocky is the big one and then we've got Simba here. What kind of dogs are they?

Zera Gonzales:
Yes. Rocky is a German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Husky mix.

Anthony Godfrey:
And a very good boy.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes, very good boy. And then over here we have Simba. He is a Maltipoo. That's a Maltese-poodle mix.

Anthony Godfrey:
Also a very good boy.

Zera Gonzales:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not Simba. You're not second. You're both number one in our hearts.

Zera Gonzales:
Exactly. Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Carter's mom. Introduce yourself, please.

Heidi Jacobson:
My name's Heidi Jacobson.

Anthony Godfrey:
Heidi, you and I have known each other for a little while.

Heidi Jacobson:
Yes, we have.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell everyone about that.

Heidi Jacobson:
Mr. Godfrey was my eighth-grade teacher out at Bingham Middle School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bingham Middle School days were great days.

Heidi Jacobson:
Yes, they were. I actually am the first graduating class from Copper Hills High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah. That's right. That's pretty cool. So now to have your son here, what does that mean?

Heidi Jacobson:
It's just all four of my kids have come here. And to have Carter be the caboose, he actually will graduate for my 30th class reunion.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's awesome. Your son graduating from the same school 30 years later. And how proud are you of Carter right now?

Heidi Jacobson:
Those boys are incredible boys, and they deserve all of this recognition and all the publicity and everything that they are getting because they would do it again today. They're just those type of boys. They're incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talking with them, I really got that sense that they'd do it again and that's just who they are. Your son is a large boy. He was able to kick that door in a way that I'm not sure I would have been able to.

Heidi Jacobson:
He said the adrenaline just kicked in once he saw those dogs through the window. He was like, “I knew no one was home.” We have dogs that are part of our family and would be devastated, so all three of those boys just knew that they had to get in there and save family members. Even though they're furry, they're still family members.

Anthony Godfrey:
He, it didn't surprise you at all that you did what he did.

Heidi Jacobson:
No, no, it didn't. They're heroes, honestly. Carter's like, “I'm not a hero. I just did what I thought was right.” I'm proud of him.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does it mean to see them recognized like this?

Heidi Jacobson:
It actually makes me pretty emotional. He's a great kid, like I said. They deserve all of this and makes my mom a heart happy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's great to see you and we're all very proud of what they did. It's wonderful to meet your son.

Heidi Jacobson:
Thank you so much, Mr. Godfrey.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. We're talking with Matt Alvernaz, our school safety coordinator. What does it mean to you today to honor these boys?

Matt Alvernaz:
It is a great privilege to be able to share this tradition in honoring things that are above and beyond the regular everyday parts of society. These young men did something that normal people wouldn't do, especially today. We see people pull out their phones and record and watch. And yeah, we have this great video of things out there. But these young men, who had no obligation to do otherwise, stepped up, addressed the problem and went right out without waiting and did an amazing job.

Anthony Godfrey:
And they don't seem terribly impressed with themselves. This is just what needed to be done. And they did it.

Matt Alvernaz:
Yeah, their level of humility is actually what's most impressive. It's more of like they're not after this attention that we're given. So that's all the more reason to shower them with it. But they are just like, "What? This is normal. Who wouldn't have done this?" And reality is, most people wouldn't.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about the challenge coin you gave them to honor what they've done.

Matt Alvernaz:
So these challenge coins are part of a long-standing tradition given through military and law enforcement and uniform services typically. Here at Jordan School District, we have our own challenge coin to be able to recognize these outstanding kind of things as well, because we understand that there's more to it in everyday society in our students. We want to emulate what needs, what we like to see from society, you know, heroes and things and what these people can do. And so this coin has significance. Every coin means something. So here on this front-facing part, we have a police badge-style shield with the Jordan “J” emblem in it. Then behind that, you have the shoulder patch, which again represents first responders, you see that on fire departments and police officers. Then that is filled in with a navy blue, which represents authority and stability and loyalty. Behind the shield, you see three lines kind of crossing behind it. And the shield represents the safeguarding of the physical, mental and emotional well-being of our students and staff and everybody within our district. Below it, there's three stars that are propping up the shield. Those three stars represent the community, the school district and our first responders working together to prop this up and make sure that shield stays strong. On the backside, it says we're honoring excellence and you'll see the same three lines of what we're honoring and those three stars as well and with a ring of blue around it again to represent that stability, authority and circling what we're doing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much for honoring these students and it's a great new tradition. I know there are going to be many other opportunities to honor incredible students here in Jordan District.

Matt Alvernaz:
Absolutely.

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

(upbeat music)

Alexa Bird:
It's just kind of been my motto now. It's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out?" And so I made the decision to get my eye removed. Now I have these fun prosthetics. This year I had a student, she in the middle of the year, found out that she actually had to get hearing aids. She looked at the doctor and said, "I'm going to have special ears like Miss Bird has special eyes." I just went home and cried.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She was just a teen when she lost an eye to a rare form of cancer, had to wear an eye patch, and suddenly became a target for hurtful teasing. On this episode of the Supercast, hear the incredible story of Columbia Elementary School kindergarten teacher Alexa Bird. Find out how one middle school teacher taught Alexa to be proud of her eye patch as something that sets her apart. Hear how Alexa now tells her own students to take pride in their individual differences and how that message is making a difference in their young lives.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Columbia Elementary today talking with Alexa Bird about her teaching and her pathway to becoming a teacher. Alexa, thanks for talking with me.

Alexa Bird:
Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me first of all just about your teaching career. You're here at Columbia for your second year. Talk to me about how all that came to be.

Alexa Bird:
I went to school at Utah Tech University and I've always just wanted to be a teacher. Since the time I was little, people would be like, "What do you want to be?" And I was never like the princess or an astronaut or a pilot. It was always, "I want to be a teacher." So, I went to Utah Tech and I went through their program and then I went to the job fair. I talked to Jane Olsen there and the rest was just history. She told me, "Come to Jordan." And then I got a job interview and I interviewed here and it just felt right. And I loved the energy and the community and all the questions and just felt right. And so I said, "Yes."

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, good job, Jane, for finding Alexa. Tell me, why did you want to be a teacher when you started out at a young age? Why has this always been of interest to you?

Alexa Bird:
Well, my dad is a teacher and my grandma's a teacher. So I come from a really long line of teachers and I would go to his classroom. He actually worked at West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Alexa Bird:
And I would be like, "I'm going to be a teacher one day," and pretending like I was him writing on the whiteboards and things. And then when I was going on with my education career in high school, I was diagnosed with medulloepithelioma, which is a cancerous brain tumor in my eye. I started finding that and I had to go to California every 12 weeks because there was no pediatric ocular oncologist in Utah. And so every 12 weeks I was going to California and I just... School was my favorite place and then it became my least favorite place really quick because not for anything except kids were really mean. They would make comments like, "Jeez, Alexa, don't stand so close. I don't want to catch cancer," or, “pretending like you have cancer, that's really rude. People die from it all the time where you don't have to pretend to have cancer to get attention.” Soon it just became my least favorite place. I felt terrible. I did radiation. So I was feeling so tired and run down because chemo doesn't really work above your shoulders and it was in my eye, so radiation was the only option at the time.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you had to have radiation throughout your body and you had to go 12... Every 12 weeks you had to go to California to receive it?

Alexa Bird:
My cancer is kind of rare, what I had. And so he's like, "I'm willing to try it if you are." So it was actually this special made plaque to fit right over my tumor and they pull the whites of your eye up and sew it right over your tumor because they couldn't just remove the tumor because it would mess up with your eye pressure and things. So the radiation was the only option and it was a one-time deal. So they put a lot of radiation in it and I'd wear it for 10 days to get it fast and quick and then take it off just as fast. But then you feel the effects for a long time after. But I had to go back for checkups.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you said when you had cancer. So are you beyond that at this point?

Alexa Bird:
Yes. I'm cancer free as of a year ago because with childhood cancer, to be considered cancer free, it's five years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Alexa Bird:
I had to wait five years so I finally got it six years ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have passed your five-year mark six years ago. Wow. So well congratulations on that.

Alexa Bird:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
It must have been particularly heartbreaking that your favorite place became your least favorite place.

Alexa Bird:
Mm-hmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me how it felt at that time.

Alexa Bird:
I just remember walking down the halls and I was like, "I have to put a huge smile on my face because at the time I thought, 'People can't see that I'm sick. People can't know that I feel terrible and I don't want to be hearing. I can't let them know that their little tiny jabs and their comments are getting to me." So I would walk down the halls with a smile on my face, walking down like I can't hear them whispering about me because at the time I could see the tumor. So I was wearing an eye patch so they would be like, "She's only wearing an eye patch to get attention." And so I would walk down and I would just like put my head down and smile if people talked to me. But I hated it and I didn't want to be there. And one time—

Anthony Godfrey:
It's exhausting to try that all the time, have to be trying to prove yourself or demonstrate to people that you really are okay even though you're not.

Alexa Bird:
I would go home and I would cry. I remember one time, after a particularly hard day, I was like, "I'm going to go home and I'm going to come up with every excuse and book and never have to come back to this place because I don't want to do it anymore." That was the day I was walking. I remember like it was yesterday, I was walking into math class and I was like, "I'm done. I'm done. I'm never coming back after today. Just get through the day." That's when my math teacher was there and she had this huge smile on her face. It's the kind of smile that's like, "You can't help but smile back." And she's like, "Alexa, just the person I wanted to see." I was like, "Oh, that's okay. That doesn't match my mood I'm feeling right now."

Anthony Godfrey:
So was this in front of the class?

Alexa Bird:
Yeah, it was right before the bell rings. So there were kids in there and it was just like the one minute before that everybody's like just sitting there waiting for the bell to ring. And I was like, I remember thinking, "Well, now I can't be grumpy if she's talking to me with a smile on her face. I can't help but it was the energy you can't help but matching." I remember looking at her and being like, "Yeah, I'm here." She had this box in her hand and it was filled with all different kinds of eye patches. They were like ladybugs and pink camo and sparkly. And it was just this whole box. She was like, "I drove all over town,” and we lived 45 minutes from Salt Lake. And she's like, "I drove into Salt Lake and I was looking everywhere for these for you." And she handed me the box and she was like, "You know, I've been thinking a lot about you." And it's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out? And you know, if you have to wear these eye patches, might as well have fun with them. You can match them to your shoes and your outfits and we can have a bunch of fun with this. So I bought this just for you.” I remember going, "Oh, wow." And from there, from that day, I would walk in with my fun eye patches and she'd be like, "Which one are you wearing?" And I'd be like, "They match my shoes today." Or, "They match my shirt." I remember she brought the joy coming back to school and she brought this... I wanted to be there. I wanted to go every day to show her which eye patch I was wearing in school. Some of the kids would catch on and be like, "Wow, I love your eye patch today." They still made those mean comments, but I loved going back to school again. And she was the reason. And it wasn't just because of the academics. It's because she genuinely took the time and showed me she loved me and I wanted to be there to be with her. It made what used to be this dark place, and it made me want to come back to school. And she doesn't realize how that little tiny impact impacted my whole life from that moment. It's just kind of been my motto now. It's like, "Why blend in when you're born to stand out?" I can teach kids that their differences make them special. And now I don't have to wear eye patches, but I have... Because when I was 17, the diagnosis was, "Your tumor's not responding anymore." I remember on the way driving home, because from California it's a long drive, I remember thinking, "I'm done. I don't want to go back to California. I just want to start... I want to go to college, because I was a junior at the time, and I want to start living my life. I want to be able to go with my friends." Because after these doctor's appointments, it just made me sick for weeks. So I was like, "I want to start going out with my friends, and I want to go to dances, and I want to play basketball." I remember thinking, "I'm done. I'm going to get my eye removed." So I made the decision to get my eye removed.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that was specifically so you didn't have to keep going back to California.

Alexa Bird:
Mm-hmm. I was... It kind of like...that was the vibe the doctor was giving, was like, "We're going to have to start thinking about it."

Anthony Godfrey:
So when the doctor was leading you that way, it felt like the right path. But the bonus was that you wouldn't have to keep going back to California and you felt like you could start moving on and live your life.

Alexa Bird:
Yeah. I would still have to go back, like, for my year checkup, just to make sure everything looked good. But I wouldn't have to go every 12 weeks, which is three months. So I was like, "Yeah, I want to start living my life." So I made the decision to get my eye removed. So now I have these fun prosthetics and like the one I'm wearing right now is blue and sparkly, and I have a Christmas one, and I have a gold Mickey one, and I have a galaxy one. The goal is to have one for every single occasion in my life, you know?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Stay with us when we come back more with this amazing second-year teacher and her story of resilience.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
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 I understand that you actually had a student in your class with a hearing aid. Talk to me about how you connected with that student.

Alexa Bird:
Okay, so this year I had a student and I got her parents' permission to give her a little shout out, Miss Bailey, but she in the middle of the year found out that she actually had to get hearing aids. And, you know, as a six-year-old getting told that, you have to have hearing aids, that's kind of scary. That's a big thing. That's a big thing that impacts their lives. And we had a conversation, like her mom came, and she's -- her mom's awesome. And so she was always working with me, and she came and was like, "We're going to get her hearing aids." And I was like, "Oh, okay, that's awesome." So the first thing I did was -- Bailey is this most enthusiastic little girl I know. And she came up and she's like, "I have to get hearing aids." And I was like, Oh, and we made it special. Like, we talked about it as a class because at this young age, like, you have this opportunity to impact them and teach them how these differences make them special. So we talked about how she has a hard time hearing, and so the kids were like, "Oh, so we have to be quiet." And they were -- I was like, "Yeah." And they were, "So how can we help her?" I was like, "Oh, she's going to get these things called a hearing aids, and they're going to go in her ear, and they're going to help her hear." And they're like, "Oh, that's so cool." So her mom would send me pictures of the whole process. So she would send me pictures, and we'd talk about it in class, and I would be like, "Oh, Miss Bailey had --" She called them like these bubblegums in her ears, and which was the molding for the hearing aids. And so we talked about it the whole process. So, like, as a class, we felt like we were in this process with her because she's a part of our family. Her mom later came and told me, it was field day, and so she was telling me, like, "They can get wet." And so -- and she goes, "Oh, I just want you to know, like, at the doctor we were talking about how, you know, they're going to help her hear, and they're kind of -- some people might say something, or they might stare." And she looked at the doctor and said, "No. I'm going to have special ears. Like, Miss Bird has special eyes. Like, we're going to be special. Only the specialist people have things that make them special. I have pink, sparkly hearing aids, and she has a sparkly eye, and we're going to be twins." And so it just -- so her mom came and told me that, and I was like, "Oh, that's so cool." I went home and cried because that's exactly what I wanted, is I want these kids to know that their differences make them special and to embrace them because that's what makes them stand out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the impact, you know, your math teacher who made this difference.

Alexa Bird:
Miss Williams.

Anthony Godfrey:
Miss Williams, have you talked with her about the impact? And does she know that you're a teacher?

Alexa Bird:
Yes. I -- last year when I was on the interview for the new teacher, my dad recorded it and sent it to her, and she was like, "Oh, my gosh. That just makes me so happy. I'm so proud." And it's crazy to think that at the moment it didn't seem like it was very big. Like, she went and got me a box of eye patches, and she didn't know. Like I said, I put on a really good face. A lot of people don't know how hard it was and how much it impacted me because I'm really good at putting on a show, I guess. So she didn't realize how much I was struggling and how much I needed that, and she gave me this box of eye patches, and she has no idea how much it impacted me because now I can teach the kids and the kids to come, and it's crazy that this cycle is just going to keep going. And she -- it just started with a little box of fun eye patches.

Anthony Godfrey:
You said she traveled around and went to Salt Lake to do that, but the effort that she made to find the eye patches is not equal in the time that it took to all the trips to California, all the teasing and bullying that you suffered from, all the time that you spent thinking about this, and all of that was counteracted, and your whole trajectory was changed through an effort by this teacher to do something very personalized and individual that she didn't have to do. Nobody expected her to do that. Like you said, it's the last thing you were thinking was going to happen, and even just her greeting changed your outlook, and there are so many students in Jordan District who are going to benefit from what she did for you.

Alexa Bird:
Yeah, like I have said, this is my second year, and my first year it was really hard, but I saw how much the kids just -- they needed somebody to -- they have hard lives. Like a lot of the time we don't even know how much -- what's going on outside of school. So making the choice to be the person that they want to come to school for, and they want to -- you can be the person that shows them a smile and shows them love that some of them they don't have, like they don't have it. And so like her impact doing that for me has really showed me that, you know, it doesn't have to be -- you don't have to go out and buy a box of eye patches. It can really be like seeing that they need a hug or somebody to talk to, or just even a smile. That's kind of the theme in my classroom is everybody's loved. We'd -- at the end of the year it was a race to tell each other, "Oh, I love you" at the end of the day before we walked out. It's the last thing I say to them every day is, "I love you. I can't wait to see you again." And so then they would be like -- we'd line up and they'd be like, "Oh, I love you, Ms. Burton." It became our game. Like who can say it first?

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it is so important for students to feel like someone is looking forward to seeing them, and that's what Ms. Williams did for you, saying, "Just the person I wanted to see." It's really exciting that you're able to carry that forward and carry that on, and especially in kindergarten, where they are learning how to be in school, and to learn that they belong right from the start is really, really important. So thank you for everything you're doing. Thank you, Ms. Williams, for being out there and making this impact on Alexa so we get to benefit from your teaching and your positive impact on students. So thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us and for being a teacher in Jordan School District.

Alexa Bird:
Thanks for having me. Thanks for giving me a job. I love it.

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.

Katie:
It was very intimidating. I was not used to painting something this big. I've never done it before.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, doing it at scale is a little bit more difficult, I would guess.

Katie:
Yeah, 100 percent.

James Myers:
What's awesome about this specific fundraiser is that we're going to be using all the funds specifically for this fundraiser, for the senior class.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is an impressive sight to see in the student parking lot at West Jordan High School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how a paint and park project is raising money for senior class activities throughout the school year. It's a project where some students were able to paint and personalize their parking stalls in creative works of art you simply have to see to believe.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at West Jordan High School with one of the student government advisors. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about how these parking spots came to be.

James Myers:
Alright, so my name is James Myers. I've been an educator here at West Jordan High School for almost nine years. Student government for the last five and with the senior painting and park, this idea, it's been about half a year in the making. So what had happened was that Principal Hutch, over winter break, he had shown me this picture of some kids that have painted their parking spots. And for charity season, one of the activities that we do is that we actually will sell parking spots to the students and they get to have that spot for the rest of the year. And so Principal Hutch sent me this picture of some students that have painted their parking spot and said, "Hey, wouldn't this be cool if we did this for our students?"

Anthony Godfrey:
So these were pictures from another school?

James Myers:
Yeah, from another school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
That got me thinking, because you can’t really do that during the winter because you’ve the the snow and the ice against you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

James Myers:
What if we figured out a way to actually take advantage of the summer and actually do this during the summer? And so I started doing some research, looking around, seeing what other schools were doing. And it really, really picked up, I guess, in May. And then over the summer, I was just working on getting the designs from the students, seeing who all was interested. We started off with 47 spots over here. It was going to be 48, but we didn't take into account that light post over there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Darn light post.

James Myers:
Oh, I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you call it the senior paint and park?

James Myers:
Yeah, the senior paint and park.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's better than park and wait by a long shot.

James Myers:
Oh, it definitely is. And it's much nicer to look at, too.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you decided there were 47 spots available. And how did you decide who was going to be able to access these particular spots?

James Myers:
That was a little difficult to figure out at first. But in the end, what we decided was that we sent out a mass email, multiple emails , out to the seniors and also sent out on social media to see who was interested. We had a form that they could fill out and such. And in the end, we said, OK, you need to send a confirmation saying that you're indeed interested in order to get one of these 47 spots. And you also have to submit your design for approval or to receive feedback, at least. And so of the first 47 students that both sent in their confirmation and their design so that we could actually start to review it and make sure that it would meet our standards. Once they were able to do that, they were on the list. And we quickly got our 47. And I think we ended up still having like another 40 that we're still contacting wanting to be involved.

Anthony Godfrey:
So did you take the first 47 or was it based on the designs or how exactly did you decide?

James Myers:
The first 47.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
These students, they're smart. They have a pretty good idea of what's going to get approved and what would instantly get rejected.

Anthony Godfrey:
Were there any duplicate designs or did everyone have their own idea?

James Myers:
We had two. We had two. Apparently Red Bull is very popular.

Anthony Godfrey:
It gives you wings, I hear.

James Myers:
I have heard that as well. And I reached out to them and I went, hey, you know you're doing the same design. And they went, yeah, we both know.

Anthony Godfrey:
So we have two Red Bull designs out there.

James Myers:
We have two Red Bull designs out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have the people at Red Bull been contacted? They ought to be sending you a swag of some kind.

James Myers:
I know. That would be amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. That's the next step. That's the next step in this. See what you can raise for charity. What's being done with the funds that you raise? How are you going to use those?

James Myers:
What's awesome about this specific fundraiser is that we're going to be using all the funds specifically for this fundraiser for the senior class. So the seniors that paint it, they will get to reap the rewards of their actions. So we're going to make sure to use it for like the senior dinner dance, senior sunset, senior sunrise, and other activities like that that we love to put on for our seniors.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you think this has meant to the students to get to personalize a spot during their senior year?

James Myers:
Oh, for one, it was just exciting to see them all before the school year started and just seeing them be so excited for this, their last year of high school. And they were just talking and hanging out and having so much fun. We had music going on and everything. And just being able to leave a part of themselves out here for everyone to see, I think that was just something really special. And it was just wonderful to be a part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. Well, I can't wait to see them in person. Photos and the videos are what drew me here because they just, it looks fantastic.

James Myers:
Yeah. We were able to get some awesome drone footage from one of the parents of one of the students. He was also a resource officer over here, Officer Gray. So Detective Gray, he was actually the one that got all that footage of the drone.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, cool. I do hear it's caused some problems though, because other schools are now getting pressure to do the same thing because you guys are setting a trend. And other principals are saying, hey, now everyone wants us to do it as well. So you may see this spread to other schools next year.

James Myers:
I would be, I'm looking forward to it because there's just so many creative ideas out there and I want to see them painted. And I just hope that they all share their pictures as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's exciting. Now, from a technical standpoint, tell me what type of paint you use because when I first saw this, I thought, well, the first rain, we're going to be in trouble. So does the paint come off eventually or are these seniors now, they'll be able to come back when their children attend West Jordan High and park in their spot?

James Myers:
Oh, if that's the case, we're going to be running out of parking space.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. Yes.

James Myers:
So I went to Home Depot to get our paint. Got the cheapest stuff that they had. I mean, it was still like twenty twenty-five dollars a gallon of paint.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
Yeah. Except for the white paint. I was able to get the five-gallon buckets of that. So, you know, bulk paint a little bit cheaper there. We probably went through 90 gallons of this house paint. So it's house interior paint. It is washable when it's wet and you can wipe it clean. OK, at least that's what it says on the can. And so we're hoping that it will last, you know, through most of the school year. I am really interested to see what will happen come winter once all the elements and you got the rock salt and the ice scraping and everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

James Myers:
And the plan, I guess, for next year, we're going to have to do some testing because, you know, this is the first time that we're trying this out here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

James Myers:
With our climate would be to get some pressure washers out here to see just how effective that would be for removing it if we need to put on another base coat.

Anthony Godfrey:
But yeah, you can always paint over it.

James Myers:
Yeah, we can always paint over it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. OK. Well, it's really exciting. It's a creative and fun way for people to feel a greater connection to their school and to raise money. Yeah. So congratulations on blazing the trail here in Jordan.
Thank you. Stay with us when we come back more with the students at West Jordan High School who got to paint a parking spot just for them.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
Are you looking for a job right now, looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District, we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at employment.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Jada and we're walking over to her spot. Jada, introduce yourself.

Jada:
Hi guys, I'm Jada. I go to West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell us about your spot before we get to come see it.

Jada:
Yeah, so it's a pretty detailed spot. I'd say it has a little sun. It's kind of ocean themed. Definitely more of an abstract ocean. It's not really realistic. And if I had more time, it would have been a lot more detailed. But four days seems like a lot. But when it gets down to it, it's definitely not enough time.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's actually a lot of space as I approach the parking space. It seems just right for the car, but it's a very large canvas for you to be painting on.

Jada:
Definitely. It's a lot more than I expected personally. I came in with a huge idea. I was like, yeah, this is going to take like maybe 13, 14 hours. Definitely not 13, 14 hours.

Anthony Godfrey:
A lot more than that.

Jada:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. And your car is actually parked there. So while we walk up, how great is it to have your own reserved spot and not be watching for a spot and all of that?

Jada:
Oh my gosh, I can't even explain. Last year I was half online, so I was kind of fighting for a spot to come for my second period or my third period. Because we have so many kids going to the school and kind of a smaller parking spot, I'd say. I mean, it's pretty big. But this year, you know, I can just I'm a senior. So I have like two classes at the high school and then two classes at JATC. So I can just come here and you know, I'd have to worry about finding a spot. It's genuinely just a relief.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're right by the light post. This is great. And I can only see the edges because your car is parked there, but I see Jaded 2026 there at the front. That's fantastic. And the edges look really cool. I love the color combinations, but I can't wait to see the whole thing. So we'll let you pull out and then let's talk about the let's talk about your design.

Jada:
For sure. Let's do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. It is a little dirty, as you said. But I love this.

Jada:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So why don't you describe this for those who are listening?

Jada:
Yeah, for sure. So it's a lot of colors here. We got light purples, dark purples, light blues, dark blues, a light green. We have a little gradient supposed to look like the ocean, which will move up into some like more abstract-looking waves into a little sunset. Then it goes up into a sky. It's a lot of a lot of details here.

Anthony Godfrey:
the waves are very curly. They look almost like tentacles coming up out of the ocean. And you've combined pink and purple and sky blue and cerulean and blue, navy blue and violet. It's just all these great colors in these patterns. And then the sun, the rays of the sun really are more like flames.

Jada:

Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it looks fantastic.

Jada:
Thank you. I appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you've got the gradient color, almost an hombre sort of look to the sun as well. How did you do that with house paint? That looks really difficult.

Jada:
I've been in art since like third grade. I've been doing I've been painting my whole life. It's not that hard. You just take a roller. You get like your orange and your red. I use orange and red on that sun up there and then a light blue and a dark blue. You get a roller. You pour a lot more than you think because you need it wet. You pour that on there. You start rolling until you're satisfied and eventually it'll blend together nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was my next question. Looking at this, how long have you been interested in art and producing art? Because it's obvious this was not your first masterpiece.

Jada:
I love art. It's such a good way to express yourself when you don't have the words for it. I've been doing art. I've been taking art classes since I was like, well, I mean, elementary school, of course, but I took it serious starting in seventh grade. I was doing ceramics, painting, drawing. I'm in sculpture right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a shame that it's not permanent, but at least you get it for the whole year and it's very, very well done. Very compelling. The color combinations, the design. Bravo. Great job.

Jada:
I appreciate it. I will say it wasn't just me. Definitely. I had a bunch of people come out. My family members, my grandma, my grandpa, my uncle, one of my best friends. She paid her spot. She helped me. So if any upcoming seniors want to come and do this next year, I recommend bringing people. It's a good time to hang out with friends and to get time to paint. But just bring some friends along.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. Fantastic. Thank you very much. We're talking now with Liam about his parking spot. Liam, this is instantly recognizable for someone who came from the nineteen hundreds like I did. Tell us about your Van Halen parking spot design.

Liam:
Yeah, I just really took inspiration from the album, The Best of Both Worlds. I really enjoyed it. So I just did the spot.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's so awesome. This is 80s guitar pattern with the black and white stripes scattered across a red background. I just I can hear the guitar licks as I look at your parking spot. Now tell me, the lines always look random and somehow these lines look exactly like the guitar. Is this patterned after a part of the guitar or do you just did you just know how to channel the look of Eddie's guitar?

Liam:
Well, we actually took a long time analyzing and trying to figure out where to put the tape and stuff. So it turned out pretty nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those who don't know, it's its crisscrossing lines in especially in the bottom three quarters of the parking spot. And it's wider lines, more narrow lines, black and white lines on the red background, just like Eddie Van Halen's guitar of Van Halen.Best of Both Worlds is your favorite album.

Liam:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, why is that your favorite album?

Liam:
Pretty much if you hear good Van Halen song, it's probably going to be on that album.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's true. That's true. That is a great album. I like 1984 as well myself, but I was around for 1984. I was, you know, a young man at that time. So I'm impressed at your appreciation for Van Halen. Is that your main focus musically or are there other bands that you like as well?

Liam:
I don't know. I enjoy a lot of rock, but Van Halen's a pretty good one. One of the main ones, if you ask me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is an epic parking spot and I think Eddie would be proud. This is it's clear that you analyze things and took this very seriously. Are you pretty proud of your design and the outcome?

Liam:
Oh, yeah, it was real fun to do. Me and my buddies were so proud of it. When we were painting it, we actually pulled out a grill and had a barbecue right along here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's awesome. Great memories as well. That's fantastic. And I think you got the closest spot of anyone. How did that happen?

Liam:
Oh, I don't know. It just happened by sheer chance. When I got here, there was already quite a few people here, but I this one was originally actually taken. So I took the one right next to it. But I guess someone changed their mind and left that spot open for me to snatch up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, things have aligned very nicely for you. The lines have aligned very well. But the fact that you were able to get this parking spot and a design that you can be proud of. Very impressive. This one's going to stick with me. In fact, I'm taking a picture to show my friend who's a huge Van Halen fan. He's going to appreciate this. Well done, sir. All right. We're talking now with Katie right in front of her parking spot here at West Jordan High School. Katie, describe for the folks listening what we see here.

Katie:
OK, so for my parking spot, the tire spot is blue and in the middle of it is a cat that I painted to look like mine with big empty eyes. This is very important. And I added text that says “no empty head thought” because this is based off my cat who has no thoughts behind her eyes. Just none whatsoever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's better than a scheming cat. Some cats when they do have thoughts behind their eyes, they're evil thoughts. So it's good to have a cat with a you know, with a with a with a blank brain.

Katie:
Yeah, yeah, definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what's your cat's name?

Katie:
Her name is Luna.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna. And what kind of cat is Luna?

Katie:
I'm not sure. We just got her at the shelter.

Anthony Godfrey:
She's a black and white cat.

Katie:
Yeah, she is a black and white cat and she has like some brown spots. So.

Anthony Godfrey:
How old is Luna?

Katie:
I say she's about 14.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you brought —14 years old? Wow!

Katie:
Yeah, she's pretty old.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you you are honoring your elders here.

Katie:
I am. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, has Luna seen the parking spot?

Katie:
I don't think so. I've been tempted to bring her before.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think Luna will connect with this parking spot. It's very beautifully done. Very nice design. Have you been interested in art for a long time?

Katie:
Oh, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.

Katie:
It's something I've been doing for a long time. There's just like sketches, paintings, I mainly do watercolors. It's just something I like to do my free time.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how did it feel to paint something this large and out in the open? It was open air as the artist used to say.

Katie:
It was very intimidating. I was not used to painting something this big. I've never done it before.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, doing it at scale is a little bit more difficult, I would guess.

Katie:
Yeah, 100 percent.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love how the hair just kind of curls up at the sides and she looks very fluffy.

Katie:
Oh, she is very funny, but she's also very fat. So.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, now that you say that, I can kind of see that too. So you've really captured the spirit of Luna.

Katie:
Yes, I have.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I do see the brown on top of this.

Katie:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I noticed it when I first came over. It's you painted the cat black, but then you put the brown tones over it.

Katie:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that. Was that difficult with house paint?

Katie:
Not really. So I did something called dry brushing, which is when you get a paintbrush and you put paint on it, you wipe most of the paint off and then you just kind of just paint it on. And it gives you that look that you're going for where you have some color on it, but it's not like overpowering the color underneath.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is the uneven white right in between the eyes kind of matching the pattern?

Katie:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can see that was pretty intentional right there.

Katie:
It was.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was not haphazard.

Katie:
No, no, no. That was intentional. That's the markings on her face.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna. Well, I think Luna needs to see it. I think that's the next step.

Katie:
I agree.

Anthony Godfrey:
Luna needs to experience it and take a picture of Luna with it. Yes. I mean, she's 14. She is 14. You need to make the most of these moments.

Katie:
I do. I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I just noticed that you have a cat on your shirt as well.

Katie:
I do. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is Luna your only cat?

Katie:
No, I have two other cats.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do the other two cats feel bad that they are not painted in the parking spot?

Katie:
Well, I haven't told them, but they're not my cats. They don't like me very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they got what they deserve. They don't deserve to be in this parking spot.

Katie:
No, they don't. They don't come say hi. My cat does.

Anthony Godfrey:
They live in your home and yet they treat you this way.

Katie:
Yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's for another parking spot, another time.

Katie:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. But I'm glad you told the happy story of Luna instead.

Katie:
Yes.

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.

(upbeat music)

Sarah Elliott:
If we all did what we were supposed to do, the world would be a better place. But it doesn't always work that way. There are distractions and things happen and you've just gotta be aware, no matter which side you're on.

Matt Alvernaz:
What we're looking at is more than just how can we get the kid to school. It's what is the safest route?

Sarah Elliott:
Nothing's more important than keeping these kids safe.

Anthony Godfrey:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's the time of year when thousands of students are making their way to school, walking eagerly through neighborhoods along established safe walking routes. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how we work together to better protect young pedestrians and to make sure their travel to and from school is safe.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here in front of Oquirrh Hills Middle School to talk about safe walking routes. Introduce yourselves and let's talk about being safe getting to school.

Sarah Elliott:
My name is Sarah Elliott. I'm the crossing guard coordinator for the Riverton City Police Department.

Matt Alvernaz:
I'm Matt Alvernaz, the school safety coordinator for Jordan School District.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sarah, tell me how many crossing guards do you have in Riverton City?

Sarah Elliott:
We have about 46 on our payroll right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
And many people misunderstand this, but actually the cities have the responsibility for coordinating the efforts of crossing guards, not the school districts. Tell me about how all of that works and if someone's hearing this and they're interested in applying, how they do that?

Sarah Elliott:
Right, so usually we're coordinated through the police departments of each city. So usually if you just Google it, you can find it pretty easily. But each police department will have their crossing guard jobs listed.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us a little bit about the training that goes into becoming a crossing guard.

Sarah Elliott:
So UDOT has some really great training materials that we use, videos and things, and then mostly just on the job training. Shadow a couple of shifts and then get ready to get out there and keep those kids safe.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are the best tips for students who are crossing the street? Let's start with the students to make sure that they're doing that safely, whether there's a crossing guard there or not.

Sarah Elliott:
For sure, being a responsible pedestrian is super important. The kids need to learn to make eye contact with drivers. Looking both ways obviously, but really trying to make eye contact with the driver to make sure that the driver sees them before they step out into the road.

Anthony Godfrey:
Should they point at their eyes with their fingers and point at the eyes of the driver, Robert De Niro style, I'm watching you?

Sarah Elliott:
It would probably help us out a little bit maybe. Yeah, I might put that on my guard's responsibility.

Anthony Godfrey:
But I have heard that over the years, make eye contact with the driver so you know that they see you.

Sarah Elliott:
Exactly, yeah. Then of course if it's a staffed crosswalk, kids need to wait until the crossing guard will vocally tell them to cross and also signal them to cross and they just need to be sure that they're waiting and paying attention.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now let's talk about drivers. What tips do you have for drivers to be sure that they are safe as they approach and ultimately go through a crosswalk?

Sarah Elliott:
Paying attention, that really being aware of your surroundings is important for both sides of this coin. Get off your phones, pay attention to where you are, notice the lights, make sure you're going the speed limit and just don't let other things distract you because nothing's more important than keeping these kids safe.

Anthony Godfrey:
Absolutely. Now, when you see the crossing guard walk out with the stop sign, you stay stopped until they and every child in the crosswalk has made it to the curb.

Sarah Elliott:
Right, right. Don't start going just because the kids are out of the road. The crossing guard needs to be safe too. So you need to wait until they're totally onto the curb and have put their stop sign down and then you can go ahead and proceed through the crosswalk.

Anthony Godfrey:
Any cautionary tales to share, things that you've seen happen that it's really what you kept repeating is just kind of the need to pay attention as a driver, but anything specific in the past that has happened?

Sarah Elliott:
I mean, we unfortunately have had kids get hit and a lot of close calls and it really all just boils down to being aware and paying attention. And like I said, on both sides of the coin, the pedestrians have to pay attention too. Just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you can just go. You still have to pay attention and make the right choice.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is the illusion sometimes. Well, I'm in the crosswalk and you're supposed to stop, so I'm gonna walk. You do have to think, I wonder if they see me? I wonder if they're paying attention?

Sarah Elliott:
If we all did what we were supposed to do, the world would be a better place. But it doesn't always work that way. There are distractions and things happen and you just gotta be aware no matter which side you're on.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are different types of crosswalks I know. There's the Beatles crosswalk on Abbey Road.

Sarah Elliott:
Yeah, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's the school crosswalk and then there's the normal crosswalk. So talk to us about the difference between, I can recognize the Beatles crosswalk. But the other two, let's talk about the distinction between those two.

Sarah Elliott:
So they go by lots of names, but the zebra striped or school zone crosswalk. If somebody's in that crosswalk and with a crossing guard or without, if you've got a zebra stripe crosswalk, as a driver, you need to wait until that person is completely out of the road before you go. They need to be on the curb on the other side. The ones you see at more major intersections that are just the two parallel lines, those you're gonna wait until that person is off of your side of the road and then you're safe to go ahead and proceed.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they start on your side and they've crossed the median and now they're on the other side of the road, you can drive through.

Sarah Elliott:
If it's the parallel lines.

Anthony Godfrey:
If it's the parallel lines, but the zebra stripe, you wait curb to curb.

Sarah Elliott:
You wait the whole time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, all right, that's a good distinction. Now I'm gonna notice all the zebra stripe versus the parallel line crosswalks.

Sarah Elliott:
Being aware, it's part of safety.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, all right, very good. With Matt Alvernaz, our school safety coordinator for Jordan School District. Matt, what other tips do you have for drivers and pedestrians?

Matt Alvernaz:
You know, one thing that we were talking about beforehand was the parents. Teach your kids, don't just park somewhere and say, “Hey, run across the street over to me” because this is convenient. Teach them to go to the right way, show them the right way. And if you're gonna get out and walk with them, just because you're an adult, doesn't mean you don't have to go to the crosswalk either.

Anthony Godfrey:
We've all thought, I can think of moments when I was with my kids and I'm like, do I show the example of going to the light or do we dart across the street, cuz we can probably make it? And it's about setting the example at other times as well.

Matt Alvernaz:
Right, you wanna emulate what you want them to do when you're not there. So sure, you could make it, you're an adult, you can make it, you're safe, all that stuff, it's actually not because you're teaching them bad habits. You're teaching them, this is okay when I'm with my parents, why not when I'm not with them? And they don't usually make the best judgment. And to be honest with you, a lot of adults don't either, whether they're driving or walking.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, Sarah, you used the term responsible pedestrian. It made me feel like sometimes I have not been a responsible pedestrian.

Sarah Elliot:
Well, we preach responsible driving. I've got two teenagers that just got their driver's licenses and so we're harping on them all the time. But the responsibility for safety falls on everybody.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. We'll walk you through the process of how safe walking routes are established through the entire school this week.

Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Sandy Riesgraf:
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 and counselors. 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:
Let's talk a little bit about the safe walking routes and how those are established. That's a partnership with the city and you're involved in each of those.

Matt Alvernaz:
Yeah, so I review every safe walking route with the schools. Each individual school begins that process and then we go over it with the city and the city has the ultimate say on it. But what we're looking at is more than just how can we get the kid to school. It's what is the safest route? And the safest route is not always the most direct route. We gotta look at all sorts of possibilities. Where are the lights? What kind of intersections are we looking at? Is it roundabout or if we walk another block, do we have a controlled intersection? Where are the crossing guards placed? And again, it may not be the most direct route to get there the quickest and the least amount of distance, but it is the safest route. The other things we consider [are] open trenches, canal ways, things that pose hazards to kids depending on the type of school, especially elementary school, construction sites, things like that. It's a long process, believe it or not. We finish them in spring for the following year. So we work on it all year long and we continue to review it. We continue to work on it. We make adjustments as we need. But it's a process that actually begins with the School Community Council, the parents, the community going to the principal, talking about it and the school staff and then it comes to me. And then we meet with the city and we all rally together and have these meetings that dial it down very specifically. Not just like, hey, just kind of get down this road. We talk intersection by intersection from neighborhood to neighborhood on where these kids are from and it's a process, but it's worth it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like the way you describe it. It's involving the city, it's involving the School Community Council, which includes teachers as well. But parents are at the center of it and there are a lot of eyes on it to make sure it's as safe as possible. But like you said, it's not the shortest distance, it's the shortest safe distance. And it's the shortest safe route rather, because the theme here is when you're in a hurry and not paying attention is when you risk getting hurt. And sometimes kids, but adults too, like we talked about, want to take the fastest route and want to just dart across the street instead of going to the corner or just drive quickly through that crosswalk instead of stopping and waiting and so we all just need to know that to be safe, it might take us a little extra time. The requirement for busing is that we're required to provide busing for any elementary student that lives more than 1.5 miles from their elementary. And for secondary, it's two miles. But the safe walking route may actually be longer than that in rare instances because the driving route is longer than or shorter than it would be to qualify for busing, but the walking route may be longer than expected. That's a common misunderstanding, I think.

Matt Alvernaz:
The buses can safely navigate the roads where kids can't walk. So that's a big difference there. We want to make sure, since they're within that range and this is guidelines set by the state that we still, even though they may have to go a little bit around about, they get there safely. And that's really the biggest, most important piece of all this is just the safety and not about convenience, which we do include that when we can. We want things to be convenient and easy. We're not out to make things difficult, it's not fun. But safety is really all that matters.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's our first priority. What else would you add, Sarah, about parents and students and drivers just making sure that everyone gets to school safe?

Sarah Elliott:
I mean, just be aware of your surroundings. I sound like a broken record probably, but just be careful. Teach your kids to be careful and wave at your crossing guards, cuz they're out there trying to keep your kids safe. They're doing the best they can.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wave at them.

Sarah Elliott:
Wave at them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, all right.

Sarah Elliott:
Have a smile.

Anthony Godfrey:
A thumbs up. A salute. Whatever.

Sarah Elliott:
Sure, whatever you got.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, all right. Pull up, roll down the window and hand a donut out the window. I don't know, that might be suspect.

Anthony Godfrey:
Matt will take the donut, all right, if you see him out there. So we've talked about the process for a safe walking route. What if a parent's listening and says, “Hey, I have questions about my safe walking route,” or “I think there's a better way for us to do this.” What, who would they contact first?

Matt Alvernaz:
First, let's begin with the school. Talk to your school administrators and find out who your School Community Council members are and reach out to them. They’re parents in your community, talk to them and figure out if there's an opening on the board. If you want to get in on the Community Council, get out there, get involved. And these meetings, they're not exclusive, so to speak. You can still come out and be a part of these things. But it begins right here locally with the school because they know the most about their neighborhoods, right? They're your neighbors, your family. And having a district from afar try to oversee that when we don't do with the day to day stuff right here, it doesn't make as much sense. So start right here at the school and see what we can get accomplished here at the local level.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we know that ideally everyone would qualify for a bus. We'd be able to bus everyone. It's the safest way to get to school. But given the limitations in the funding that we receive and the specific requirements at the state level, there are a lot of students who do not qualify. And we just want to be sure that whether they're carpooling or they're walking, that everyone gets there safely. We've revamped a few parking lots this year. We revamp a few every year to make sure that they're as safe as can possibly be.

Matt Alvernaz:
Walking is safe and it is a healthy activity. Get outside, take advantage of it. Look at the bright side of it. Yeah, you didn't get on the bus. You get a nice joyful walk.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm feeling a little targeted right now, Matt.

Anthony Godfrey:
Walking from my car to the office is not enough exercise.

Matt Alvernaz:
Yeah, you got stairs to get to your house.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are stairs involved, that's true. That's true, all right, I'm gonna give myself credit for that. Well, thank you for everything you're both doing to keep our kids safe. Close calls and accidents are very rare, but we have to stay vigilant. We have to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure kids get to school safely, so thanks for everything you're doing and let's hope for a great year.

Matt Alvernaz:
Thanks.

Sarah Elliot:
Thank you.

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.