Supercast

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Ryan Clayton:
My goal for the program is that it's all student run from management to building and I'm just here as an advisor.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about meaningful learning. It's a big deal. It's an outcome that helps improve people's lives.

Ryan Clayton:
It's an amazing opportunity to put on your resume. You are actually taking somebody out of homelessness by building this house for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. These students are nailing it in a unique class designed to prepare them to be career ready in the construction trades industry.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to JATC South where it is all hands on deck as high school juniors and seniors build a tiny home on site as part of a new construction trades class.

We're here at JATC South outside watching a new class and talking with a new instructor. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about this class.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so I'm Ryan Clayton. I'm coming from industry. I own my own construction business. And what this program is is basically taking what you would see in industry and bringing it into our high school. So we are a construction crew here and currently we're building a house for a homeless community in Salt Lake City. It's all completely built by high schoolers. I mean I pitch in here and there to help with something, but 95% of the work is done by our students. All the way from the foundation, they put our center blocks down to raise it up and put our floor in, framing it. At some point we'll get to the point where they're going to do the siding on it, they'll do the flooring, the walls, everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is construction management, so they're not only learning the actual construction, but they're also learning how to oversee a project and make it all fit together.

Ryan Clayton:
Correct, yeah. So this year we've kind of combined a trades class and a management class. Next year we'll do a trades class that will focus more on the trades, learning the trades. And we're doing a separate management class that will be managing those trades classes. So they're going to get that managing experience. So what you would see is what a superintendent would do or what a foreman would do or a project manager. So my goal for the program is that it’s all student run from management to building and I'm just here as an advisor.

Anthony Godfrey:
And this really gets on two needs in the industry, and you know better than anyone. I've heard that the need is not just for those who have the skills and the trades, but those who can lead and manage projects, as well, who also have those skills and the knowledge of construction.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so for sure one of the biggest deficits we have in construction is management positions, and especially managers who know the skills. Because you can have someone with an MBA come in, a business major has all this business experience, but has no construction experience, and it's really hard for them to manage. So what we need is individuals who have that construction knowledge but can also manage a team. So this strikes a good balance between that and prepping those students for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know that not only is there an industry need, but there's also been a high interest from students in being able to participate in a program like this. Tell me about the enthusiasm you've seen from students coming in. I have, honestly, I've seen more enthusiasm from parents. Parents have been open house, parrot-tater conferences, they just keep coming, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe you guys are finally starting this program. This is awesome. This is exactly what my student needs.”

And the students are, some of them are a little apprehensive coming in, some of them are really excited, but man once they get going they've really been loving the program. Attendance for me has never been an issue. They want to be here, they want to be working.

Anthony Godfrey:
So when you come out of industry and you meet these students, it's got to be exciting to see that there are some great kids coming into the workforce and adding to the field.

Ryan Clayton:
Oh yeah, you'd be surprised how many general contractors from industry come and want me to hand-pick my students for them because it's so hard to find really good quality labor. Because these kids are going to get scooped up right away. I mean, for them to even just take the initiative of taking a class like this in high school is already going to put them so many steps ahead of other applicants for construction jobs that they're not going to have any issues finding jobs right after high school. Good, good management or trade jobs, whatever they want to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
What advice do you have for parents or students who are considering taking either construction management or the construction course?

Ryan Clayton:
My first suggestion would be if you're a junior, take my trades class first. Learn the process, learn what the trades do, and then as a senior take my management class. It's kind of my advanced class. That would be my first advice. My second one would be probably come prepared to be cold.

Anthony Godfrey:
Come prepared to be cold. We are standing outside. You know, this suit jacket is very warm, but I am a little bit cold.

Ryan Clayton:
You can ask my students, that blizzard came in on Thursday and we were out here working on that shed over there in the blizzard.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's real world experience there.

Ryan Clayton:
Yes, we finally shut down once it started really hitting us hard, but we work in pretty tough weather and school is during, mostly during the winter. They're off during the summer when it's the nicest time to do construction.

Anthony Godfrey:
So are they going to be looking for summer jobs that they're better qualified for, even earlier than graduation?

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so I have some of my juniors are actually, some of my juniors are doing apprenticeships. Hunt Electric, for example, does a great summer apprenticeship for high schoolers. A lot of these kids come from construction families, so a lot of them will go work for their dads or their moms in some specific construction industry.

Anthony Godfrey:
And those are the moms who are thrilled to have them in this program

Ryan Clayton:
Moms and dads, who are thrilled to, well, and it's those parents who want to expose their– because some of these kids have been doing, you know, carpentry or concrete their whole lives. And their parents want them to come in here and learn the other trades, because it's so important to see the big picture, see the whole process of construction.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's where the management can come in too, where we have a broad experience, better able to manage those projects that you're hiring and working with. Now let's talk about the product. Let's talk about the, it would be called a tiny home, is that right?

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so we, what we did is we started with these sheds that you see on the other side, which are just backyard, small backyard sheds that you would see like a tough shed from Home Depot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Ryan Clayton:
And that's kind of our practice because this, what we're building here is going to be inspected. It's permitted. You know, Salt Lake City is going to come out and inspect that we build this correctly. So I want them to make their mistakes on our sheds before they make a mistake on this. And we, and not to say we've made mistakes on this. We've actually torn down three walls and rebuilt them because we built them wrong.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's how learning happens.

Ryan Clayton:
But yeah, so we built those sheds that we're going to sell and help fund more sheds next year. And then this one is through a program called “The Other Side”. They have all kinds of programs. They have their Other Side Moving Company. They have their Other Side Boutique.

Anthony Godfrey:
I heard a presentation from someone who's closely involved with that organization. It's pretty impressive.

Ryan Clayton:
It's pretty impressive. So they started "The Other Side Village" and it's a village that they're building these tiny houses from all kinds of different programs. Salt Lake Community College is building several and we're building one. The really cool thing about this program is that they provide all the funding for it. So they buy all of our materials for us. We don't have to try to allocate budget for this. I just put an order into Home Depot through their account. They approve it and then they send us the materials. That's the coolest part is that they're getting this experience and we are able to do a high quality thing like this without having to find the funds for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about meaningful learning. This is a big deal. And it's an outcome that helps improve people's lives.

Ryan Clayton:
Well, and one of my students today was saying, oh, you're just using us for free labor. And I was like, no, this is an amazing opportunity to put on your resume. You are actually taking somebody out of homelessness by building this house for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Amazing. So I see all of the piles of lumber and tools and equipment and I can smell the sawdust. There's the sound of the blades and things going on. We've got a new portable here that is super sized, that we bought from another district that has all the tools and everything through there. In fact, as we talk, let's walk through that.

Stay with us when we come back more with the students who are building a tiny home on the campus of JATC South.

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.

Break:
In Jordan School District we never want a student to go hungry, without food, warm clothing, or school supplies.

Hi, I'm Mike Haynes, director of the Jordan Education Foundation. If you're looking for opportunities to help students and teachers in our schools, we invite you to join us. The Jordan Education Foundation works with generous community partners, volunteer groups, and amazing people to provide classroom grants for teachers, food and clothing to fill Principal's Pantries for students. And together we recognize outstanding educators in every single school every year. If you want to connect with an amazing community helping to fuel success in Jordan School District, get involved or donate by visiting our website at jordaneducationfoundation.org. That's jordaneducationfoundation.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

Anthony Godfrey:
We've been outside and we just stepped into the lab. This is a lab that we bought along with some equipment from another district, and I haven't been in it since it's been completed. It looks like a really nice workspace. Is this working out for you?

Ryan Clayton:
Oh, yeah. I am super grateful that the original plan was to have us just in a regular classroom up at North Campus. After learning the scope of what this program needed to be, I am incredibly grateful that the district was able to secure this building and give us the space that we needed and give us the space that we need to do big projects like this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So with all of this equipment and this space, and the things that you're building, Salt Lake City is coming to do the permit inspection before you move that home into Salt Lake City. You're operating, I understand, as a construction company right now.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so at the beginning of the school year, we were a little delayed on getting our tiny home started because to pull a permit from a city, you have to be a licensed general contractor. Now, I have my personal license, but I'm not going to put that under my personal liability. So we had to get it set up with the district to become a construction company. So hanging in our classroom is our general contracting license. And as an acting general contractor and having my students as my students, but they're also considered my employees as well under the license, we are functioning as a construction company. We have all the rights and the abilities to build whatever a normal construction company, you know, Big D or Oakland. I mean, obviously we couldn't build on that scale, but...

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is thrilling. This is really exciting. It's something we've talked about for a long time. I'm really grateful that you've chosen to teach here. Tell me about what brought you here.

Ryan Clayton:
Well, my background is kind of interesting because I actually come from an architecture background. I have my degrees in architecture. That's what I wanted to go into was architecture. But then the pandemic happened and, you know, there was just a huge hiring freeze and it was super hard to get into any position. So I ended up falling back and working because the housing industry exploded during the pandemic.

I ended up going and working for my dad's company during the pandemic. I mean, I grew up working for my dad's company, so I had tons of years of experience. But I like some of that office work, but I also like being outside working with my hands. This was the perfect balance of not only do I get to work with my students in the classroom and have that time, I get to work with them out there.

This has been just a thrilling experience because I was always worried about having to, you know, classroom manage and discipline. But these students are just so great that I haven't had any issues, behavior issues. They come here willing to work. And I've really, you know, I don't think I could leave now. It's just been so enjoyable.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love hearing that. Well, we're thrilled to have you here. And thank you so much for getting this off the ground. It sounds like next year it's going to be even better.

Ryan Clayton:
I'm hoping so. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with a couple of students who are in the construction management program. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.

Mason:
Hi, I'm Mason. I go to Mountain Ridge. I am a senior right now.

Austin:
Hi, I'm Austin. I go to Kings Peak High School and I am in 11th grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about this program. What drew you to the construction management program?

Mason:
I guess I kind of just wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. He's been in the construction industry for most of his life. I figured I could learn something from myself here. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what does he think of your being in this program?

Mason:
He's pretty proud of me. I maintain good grades and I really enjoy this class. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you? My uncle is my biggest inspiration. He's actually a general contractor.

Austin:
I really like working with my hands and power tools and building things. And I hope for one day to make this into a career.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, awesome. What do you think? And Mason, is this what you want to do for work or are you just dabbling for now?

Mason:
Just kind of dabbling. I've done a couple of the J Tech programs. I'm doing construction management this year, and last year I did the welding program. I've just been kind of dabbling across the blue collar classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're going to be someone that lots of people call on the weekend, "Hey, I could use help with Project X." You might want to hide those skills a little bit. Your weekends may be taken up.

Mason:
Yeah. It really sucks being the friend with a pickup truck.

Anthony Godfrey:
The pickup truck and the skills. Tell me, what stands out as a moment where you really thought, "I did not know how to do this and now I'm really good at it"?

Austin:
Probably, the major thing would be probably reading a tape measure. I mean, I came in here, I could read the inches, but down to the 16th, 7th, the 5/8ths, probably that. And also blueprint readings.

Anthony Godfrey:
So measure twice and cut once. You don't even have to measure twice. You're that good.

Austin:
Yeah. Just measure once, cut once.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Awesome. Saves you some time. How about for you?

Mason:
I'd say the biggest thing I've learned in this class is just how to frame and just how to use a bunch of various different power tools. I mostly come from a family of mostly mechanics, so I'm mostly experienced with automotive tools and not construction tools.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow you really are in demand with that range of skills.

Mason:
Very.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to a student who's considering being part of this program next year? What would your advice be?

Austin:
I would probably tell them, because I would say you would either be choosing the management if you want to learn all the instruction math, blueprints, readings, all that. Or if you want to learn how to frame or use power tools and stuff, I would tell them to choose the trade side of things.

Anthony Godfrey:
But it's a good choice to be part of the class.

Austin:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the teacher.

Austin:
Ryan is very good. He knows a lot of construction. If you need help with something, he'll help you. If you have a question, he'll always answer it for you. He's been a very good teacher this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now he told me that if you come to this class, you have to be prepared for the cold. You're wearing a t-shirt. That doesn't seem to bother you for one second.

Austin:
Yeah. There's been a couple of days where it's been a blizzard outside and I've worn a jacket. Or there's some days where it's nice outside and I just need to wear a t-shirt.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it nice to be outside during a class?

Austin:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you? What do you think about registering for this class? What would you suggest?

Mason:
I would say going into J-Tech, it seems really intimidating, honestly. But in the end, I've really enjoyed both of the J-Tech classes that I've taken. It's really given me a lot of skills that I think I'm going to use for the rest of my life.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great endorsement. What's it like having Ryan as a teacher?

Mason:
He's a good teacher. He's serious at times, but he's also kind of fun at times. He takes the time to teach you in depth. As he said, if you have a question, he usually tries to explain it with something that you're familiar with or something like that for pretty much every student.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. How does it feel to be working on a project that's going to end up reducing homelessness? You're building a home for someone who doesn't have one.

Mason:
It feels really good. It feels like I'm more directly solving the problem of homelessness.

Austin:
It feels good. I think of it as something that in the future I can take a look at this and say, "Wow, out of all these tiny homes, one of those was one of mine that I built to change somebody's life."

Anthony Godfrey:
Not everyone gets to work in a way that allows you to drive by and see the results. I don't get to drive by and see the emails I responded to. You do get to drive by and see things that you've built, and that's really exciting. Congratulations on being in a great new class and part of a really important project.

Austin:
Yep. Thank you.

Mason:
Thank you.

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.

Tim Brooks:
I had a line that probably went 30 yards of kids waiting to just buy this one record from one little crate.

David Sherwood:
It's like he got me into records and got my whole family involved.

Tim Brooks:
They are highly sought after commerce because of things like this. Because of some of these other binders you see here like the coins. These are all things that kids can buy only with Positive Paws.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host Superintendent Anthony Godfrey It is a fun way to recognize and reward good deeds at West Hills Middle School and it has become a big hit.

On this episode of the Supercast find out why a local vinyl record shop has established a presence with a “Pop Up” shop inside West Hills Middle School, creating a nostalgic vibe and rewarding students for positive behavior.

We're here with David Sherwood now to talk about your involvement with this store to help motivate students. Thanks for joining us.

David Sherwood:
It's good to be here. We've been longtime supporters and we're so excited to be here today.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's so cool that you're doing this now. I have been out. I have purchased records from you.

David Sherwood:
I know that you look familiar

Anthony Godfrey:
There are some 12-inch 80s singles that I was pretty excited to get at some of those Daybreak sales. It's amazing to me the collection of records that I found as I was crate digging. Going through those boxes and boxes of records.

David Sherwood:
I feel like there's something for everybody if you dig deep enough.

Anthony Godfrey:
There is, there absolutely is. Tell me about how you got involved and how you and the broader vinyl-loving community have been a part of this.

David Sherwood:
So I've been collecting records since I was a teenager, back before it was cool. But now, the past four years, have been doing this as a business. So during the pandemic, I was a travel agent and the pandemic just kind of wrecked us. So we're like, we need to do something to make money. We started selling records and the way we got involved in all this is my mom is actually a first-grade teacher in your school district.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, where does she teach?

David Sherwood:
Ridge View Elementary. She's a first-grade teacher.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome

David Sherwood:
Linda Sherwood.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's our K-3 school now that just has those four grades.

David Sherwood:
And so the thing that got us started though was my mom actually a couple of years ago went through cancer. While going through this our group of record collectors rallied behind it and they wanted to do something to give back to the community. So it started with– we partnered with Primary Children's. We decided to donate and do some fundraisers for Primary Children's and then that evolved into we had extra records. We met Tim and he's like, you know, we've started this store in our school, it would be fun to put those records up for the kids. So that's kind of how all that came about.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. It's really exciting that the record-loving community and it's a great community. I've been part of a record-loving community for a very long time. But just the fact that you pulled other people from outside of the school that want to help and want to support and want to do something is really remarkable. I always say that, you know as the superintendent I'm supposed to be supportive of students. I'm supposed to be supportive of employees. But when people go out of their way to contribute and to really support students at being at their best that means the world. It's really a different kind of support that has a really, really big impact.

David Sherwood:
It's so funny that our group is so like– they are the most amazing people, kind-hearted. We actually had to hold them back because they wanted to donate more than we could handle. So we have to pace ourselves so Tim doesn't get overwhelmed here at the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
We love that. The exciting thing for me is that not only do students try to be at their best at school because of the motivations that you and the community have provided but also they start to love records and they connect with each other and that broader community as well. I think Tim is a perfect example of somebody who supports the music community

David Sherwood:
The reason I kind of got involved with Tim is I was one day at Costa Vida getting lunch. This girl behind the counter saw my Daybreak Record shirt on and she exclaimed loudly “Do you know Tim Brooks?” and I was like, this is so weird. How does she know me? She said “I bought records from the stores--the record store at the school” and she's like “He got me into records and got my whole family involved”. And she eventually came into our store in Sandy and ended up buying some records from us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I love that and it does create a sense of community. The shirt you're wearing with the samurai, explain the logo to me here.

David Sherwood:
So part of what we did is we actually flew to Japan and sourced records from Japan.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

David Sherwood:
So the records from Japan are higher quality and people were loving them here in the U.S. So we went to 55 record stores in Japan–

Anthony Godfrey:
Holy cow.

David Sherwood:
–and shipped back almost a whole pallet. You know the Opie? So yeah, I love that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you shipped those pallets over–

David Sherwood:
And because everybody wants something that's not around. So people in the US want Japanese records people in Japan want U.S. records. It's kind of funny like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I see. That's very clever. Well, you've you've you've really raised the I don't know awareness of vinyl and and the pleasures of vinyl. You opened a store recently in Sandy. Talk to us about that.

David Sherwood:
We're called Daybreak Records, but we're out in Sandy. So we got an opportunity out there we couldn't turn down. Partnering with a friend of mine out there who has a bookstore. So it's a combo book and record and then we also do our weekly online things on Facebook. So we do a live record auction and then a buy-it-now post.

Anthony Godfrey:
So where can people find the auction and the store?

David Sherwood:
So go to Daybreak Records on Facebook. It's a group. It's a lot of where our charity stuff is done, too so that's a fun one to join and then out in Sandy we have our store. It's in Union Square.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. Which brings us to this huge collection of records that you and and the group have donated in addition to our assistant principal here Tim Brooks.

David Sherwood:
I'm excited to be here. I can't wait for you guys to see the store.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I have to tell you, the first record that caught my eye was not the very cool Beatles record. Not the very cool Taylor Swift record, but the K-Tel Disco Rocket two record set. Now I have bought K-Tel records from you. Yeah, I absolutely have. So 12 inch 80 singles, but I've also bought K-Tel records because these are the ones that I saw on TV that I thought if only I could afford the shipping and handling from Ronco to get this K-Tel record.

David Sherwood:
You should have done the penny deals they did back in the–

Anthony Godfrey:
I did!

David Sherwood:
You did?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. And then and then the $9 record or cassette showed up the next month and I thought “Oh, yeah I was supposed to cancel this What am I going to do with this Don Henley CD? I guess I'll listen to it. Hey, wait a minute. It's really good.” I said CD. It was a cassette I'm making myself sound younger than I am. But yeah, the thing about K-Tel records and greatest hits generally was for me growing up It was like it was basically a bargain. I was thinking how many hits can I get for $10 instead of all the dross that might be included on an album.

David Sherwood:
I love a compilation of greatest hits Those are great for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I love that. Some record collectors are a bit disdainful of the compilation.

David Sherwood:
I'm not your average record collector. Neither is Tim. Tim has excellent taste.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk with Tim. I've also bought records from you Tim out there at Daybreak in in subsequent years. So let's talk about the store and why you set this up and how it works for students.

Tim Brooks:
Well, that's a good question. About five or six years ago one of my daughters asked for a record player for a Christmas gift, and she asked for an Abbey Road album. At that time in my life I had no records because I had sold them all away because I was into the CDs and then digital.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you converted from vinyl all the way to CDs.

Tim Brooks;
Yeah, and then I converted back because once she got that record player on Christmas morning, I just started yearning for one myself. So I started buying records and then I saw David across the street at the biannual Daybreak Yard Sales selling records. I went over there and I bought a few and started accumulating my own collection. Then I would sometimes buy a better version of an album and so I'd have two of the same record. I'm like, “Well, I need to get rid of this one, why don't I do what David does? I'll just sell some records from my front yard.” So I did that and it just kind of snowballed.

When I used to work at Fort Herriman Middle School we had a school store over there. And then again at Mountain Creek Middle School in South Jordan and we would sell typical little trinkets and things to the kids. Bracelets, pencil sharpeners, erasers and fun stuff like that. And I thought “I’ve got some records in my own collection I really don't want. I don't want to take them to the thrift store, that just hurts too much to donate them.”

Anthony Godfrey:
I cannot donate records. I can't do it.

Tim Brooks:
I brought it. I brought one —

Anthony Godfrey:
I’d donate my car before I’d donate records.

Tim Brooks:
So I brought one crate to the school store and just put it out and see what the students wanted. And I was asking three of the good behavior cards. Little cards for good behavior. I was asking three cards for records.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you earn three cards and you could go buy a record if you wanted.

Tim Brooks:
Yeah, they were junky old records. Scratched, not very popular and I had a line that probably went 30 yards of kids waiting just to buy these one record from one little crate. I was like, “This is awesome! Okay, they really like this.” Next week we upped the price to five cards and it tempered things down a little bit. I kind of did a little–

Anthony Godfrey:
Dynamic pricing.

Tim Brooks:
Yes, dynamic pricing and it just snowballed from there. Then I told David about that and he said “I've got some old records I'm not moving at all” and David has brought me crate after crate after crate after crate. I used to say he gave me hundreds of records. It's got to be in the thousands now. It's got to be in the thousands. I've done the math on it, two or three thousand maybe.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. It's such a great support.

Tim Brooks:
And so we sell them, and then here at the store I have–if you buy one it costs five cards, if you buy three it goes to twelve. I just go through the pricing of whether it's an LP, which is the 12 inch 33 and 1/3 records or the smaller 45 7 inch records.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is such a it's physical, tactile inter-personal sort of experience that's made possible through all these donations. Do any of the kids try to haggle?

Tim Brooks:
Yes, and I say “Sorry dude. Nope, I’ve got other people. I’ve already given you a screaming good deal on this.” Some of the things that I've been thinking about this over the years, there's so many different things we teach about vinyl records. You've got to be economical if you want to buy a mass amount and get them for cheaper. The history that's in all these records. David donated about a year ago of probably about 20 or 30 vinyl records of poetry, just spoken narration. We put those in there. There's their stuff about you know patriotic music there. I have some old records that are just dedicated to Civil War music. These records introduce the kids to something that they're not typically listening to on their portable electronic devices. There are genres in here they've never heard before like opera or yacht rock.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, yacht rock. Yacht rock. That's a whole separate episode of the podcast.

Tim Brooks:
Yes, we need to do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back we'll have more on the big vinyl record comeback and how students at West Hills are lining up and going all in on vinyl records.

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.

Break:
It's giving busy parents a little more peace of mind when it comes to their students getting to and from school. We're talking about Zonar MyView. It's a mobile app meant to enhance the school bus transportation experience for students and their families. The app allows parents to check on their child's school bus location and the estimated time of arrival at the bus stop each day for pick up and drop off.

If you want to join the thousands of parents already using the app, it's easy. All it takes is a few simple steps. First download the Zonar MyView app from the App Store or Google Play. Then visit auxiliaryservices.jordandistrict.org/zonar. That's where you'll find the school access code and directions on how to enter your student's unique ID and learn how to create an alert zone around your child's drop-off and pickup locations.

Let the Zonar MyView app help you stay on top of things knowing when a bus might be running a little late and when to get your kids going or head out to meet them at the bus stop. It's one more way for us to better connect with you.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me, please, please tell me that people are choosing records based on the look of the album cover.

Tim Brooks:
They are. A lot of times a student will buy a record and I said “Why are you buying this Ellie?” and she'll say “Cuz it's a good-looking cover.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes

Tim Brooks:
Or they’ll say “I don't even have a record player, but I'm just gonna put it up on my wall.”

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. I've discovered so many bands just by saying this album cover looks cool. In the 80s. I discovered the Housemartins because I thought the Housemartins, how would a band sound that has the name the Housemartins? And now I have every single note they've ever recorded.

Tim Brooks:
Yeah, yeah, one of the things too, that a lot of listeners might not know is it used to be that one or two kids at a school would have a record player. There are so many kids who have record players now. It is a resurgence. There are tons of kids who buy the records because they know they have a way to play it at home. Like last month which was Christmas time. I brought out some crate that was just Christmas-related records, and there were some kids who were going through that but other kids were going through and saying “I'm buying this Neil Diamond record or this Andy Williams record because my grandpa liked this music when he was younger and I'm gonna give it to my grandpa for a Christmas gift”

Anthony Godfrey:
That's so cool.

Tim Brooks:
It was really, really cool. One of the things I love about these is I'll talk with students that come up to me and say”Mr. Brooks, what record should I get?” I said “Well, what are you interested in? What genre?” and we'll talk about that. Sometimes it'll be a particular artist that has great deep lyrical content, literary content in their lyrics. And there's so much literary analysis available with these records.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I think that's an important thing to talk with kids about because interpreting works of art and getting the most out of a work of art shouldn't be reserved to the dusty classics. It ought to be I don't know, something that students can— they need the skills to interact in a meaningful way with the pop culture they're going to be exposed to.

Tim Brooks:
And they can relate to it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. How do students earn these cards? These good behavior cards. Tell me again what they're called? Positive Paws?

Tim Brooks:
Our school calls them Positive Paws because we are the Wildcats and these are paws. We emphasize that the three-pronged approach of our school, which is Respect, Responsibility, and Safety. But I will often do this for anything. Like if the kids are playing with sporting equipment and they come back in and bring the sporting equipment that they borrowed I'll give them a card. Teachers will circulate up and down the aisles students who are on task can receive a card. You know actively and appropriately participating, get a card. Showing good effort in the class, showing improvement, all sorts of things like that. These cards have now become highly sought-after commerce. Because of things like this, because of some of these other binders, you see here like the coins, the baseball cards, the Pokemon cards, the paper money, these are all things that kids can buy only with the Positive Paws.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hmm, very nice.

Time Brooks:
And one of the things we do is, is it alright if I take a quick little tangent?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, please.

Time Brooks:
Some of the coins and the paper money, I will deliberately price them high. So I've got coins from all over the world. I found a coin dealer who gave me a screaming good deal on it. I tell them that if they buy the coin, there's a price on the back of each coin, then if they buy the coinm if they fill out a little paper about that coin's history I will give them a 50% refund on what they paid for the coin.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've thought about every angle.

Tim Brooks:
It's so much fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
To make this is a great experience.

Tim Brooks:
We want to suck them into learning. Suck them into learning.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. Okay, before the students come in tell me one record that you wore out you listen to it so much. You had to replace it because you'd listen to it so many times.

Tim Brooks:
For me it was Abbey Road, baby. The Beatles Abbey Road.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well done sir.

Tim Brooks:
Over and over and over. Side two is immortal. It's etched in my mind. I don't have to listen to it. I can just look at the record and I start hearing it in my mouth. It's so good.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how about for you?

David Sherwood:
I mean, I'm a Beatles fan and I think that's why Tim and I connected. But the other one for me was probably Pearl Jam Ten. It's just the grunge error was my era. Like that changed music and created alternate rock and so for me that was the one for me.

That album, that was a seismic shift in music. Like wait, music can do this and it can sound like this? Yeah, love it. Great choices. Okay, let's let's let's talk to some students as they come in.

You want Beatles records? What do you like about the Beatles?

Student 1:
I've listened to them since I was really young with my grandpa. We actually bought, me and my friend bought two last week. We got, uh, I can't remember which ones we got but we got two and it was really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you have a favorite Beatles song?

Student 1:
I like it “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great one. That is a great one, a classic. How about you two? I see your Taylor Swift shirt, are you hoping for this Taylor Swift Red record?

Student 2:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are you both fans?

Student 2:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the Taylor Swift, is that an auction or how can you get the Taylor Swift?

Student 2:
I’m pretty sure it’s an auction

Anthony Godfrey:
Are there other records you've bought already that you've enjoyed from the store here?

Student 2:
Midnight Rain.

Anthony Godfrey:
Midnight Rain Is that on the new record?

Student 2:
Um, it's on “Midnights” it’s one of her new albums.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the previous one, not the most recent Poets one but the one before, very good. I like “Mean”, that's a good one. I mean, and “Cruel Summer” but everyone likes that one. Nice shirt. Zoe, talk to me about what you think of this record store.

Zoe:
I really like it because there's like a lot of vintage ones and like ones that like collectors have but they're like really cheap, so like they're worth more than what I bought them for here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it's great that people have donated them to make that possible. Tell me about some of the records you've bought that you've been really excited about.

Zoe:
I have a couple of Elvis ones. Those ones were like, those are probably one of the most worth lot. And then I have Summery Oldsman.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh really?

Zoe:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Zoe:
I have Paper Roses, that one’s nice. So I have like a bunch of other ones that had like cool cover art.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that you appreciate the older music and the cover art. Is that sometimes why you're interested in a record? Because of how the cover looks?

Zoe:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me some of the things you've done to be able to earn the cards that allow you to buy some records.

Zoe:
Um, help teachers around the classroom or picked up stuff outside.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very cool. Well, keep it up and enjoy that great music.

Hi guys, tell me about what you think of this record store.

Student 3:
It's great, there's some cool records in there, and um, yeah. It’s a cool store.

Student 4:
Yeah, I think it's pretty nice. I like how they have like a lot of records and how much there's like so many records to choose from.

Student 3:
Yeah, a lot of options. I like the options.

Student 4:
Any music taste you can come here and buy some records.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are the records that have caught your eye? What are the ones you purchased?

Student 3:
Um, I think like a Beach Boys one.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, nice.

Student 4:
I bought a Sublime one and a Taylor Swift one.

Anthony Godfrey:
A Sublime one? Wow.

Student 4:
I'm hoping to get that Red Taylor Swift one right there. That's really the one I had my eye on for a while. I’ve been saving up for a while.

Student 3:
Yeah, it’ll be a cool record.

Anthony Godfrey:
There is something about listening to a record compared with listening to your phone, isn't there?

Students:
Yeah

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.

Brandon Conti:
Our number one priority is the safety of all students, teachers, and staff.

Mark Nelson:
You know, you start watching that weather and you know when those days are coming and you don't sleep well that night. You usually just get up and get over to the school.

Nathan Morgan:
No slack time. You gotta watch the timing of the storm and the duration. The commute as well, so you need to be on top of all of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's that time of year when rain, sleet, snow, and ice can create some slick combinations around our schools and buildings.

On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with custodians who are constantly working throughout the day and sometimes into the night to prevent slips, trips and falls from students, teachers, staff, and parents. Listen and find out how you can help.

We're here at West Jordan High School talking with two of our premier custodians about safety during the winter. Introduce yourselves and let's talk a little bit about how to stay safe.

Nathan Morgan:
Okay, I'm Nathan Morgan. I'm the head custodian over here at West Jordan High School.

Mark Nelson:
I'm Mark Nelson. I'm the head custodian at the district office.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I know that nobody works harder than custodians when the snow falls and starts to stick to the ground. And there are no contract hours when that happens. Whenever it hits, it hits. I know, especially at the district office as I talk with Mark on a regular basis, you're there at all hours. Tell us a little bit about what it's like to clear that snow when it hits hard.

Mark Nelson:
You know, you start watching that weather and you know when those days are coming and you don't sleep well that night. You usually just get up and get over to the school. The district office, we're over there by Jordan Landing and airport number two. So we get the drift wind coming across that airport. So yeah, you know you're going to have a job that morning, but you know we enjoy it. We want to make sure our staff when they show up to work, they don't have to worry about how do I get to the door.

You know, after 33 years of doing this, I love to hear those compliments and the people say thank you for getting us in the building this morning. And you know, we love it.

Anthony Godfrey:
You do a great job. Now tell me about a high school. Activity starts at the high school at 5 a.m. They're lifting weights at 5 a.m. So there's no slack time.

Nathan Morgan:
No slack time. You got to watch the timing of the storm and the duration and since the commute is well. So you need to be on top of all those. So sometimes you get here at 3 a.m. just so you can have it cleared for the athletic kids at 5 a.m.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Now the way my teenage son looks at it, he thinks, hey, the snow is still falling, I'm going to wait till all the snow has fallen. And that's a great stall tactic. But that's not how you work.

Nathan Morgan:
No.

Mark Nelson:
No, no, we show up so that our doors can be open. But if the snow just keeps dropping, we're out there as long as it takes. A lot of times we will clear a path if it's a super bad day. We ask everybody, to please use our path. Please don't walk through the foot of snow. Use the path we've given you. We will get to the rest of it. We care about the space and getting it cleared from edge to edge. That's kind of something in custodial, edge to edge is where we want it. But please give us that space. So use that space and be safe.

Nathan Morgan:
Agreed.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do high school kids ever cut the corner of the sidewalk and go through the snow?

Nathan Morgan:
Yes. Sometimes they go and they park over the curb and it just gives you barely enough room for the plow to get through. Sometimes if I see them sitting in their truck, they're waiting for the building to open because the doors unlock at 5.30 and they're there at 5. “I'll just say, hey, can you back up just a bit so I can get this clear?” They're always very respectful.

Anthony Godfrey:
I didn't think about that. You are clearing snow around student drivers. That's a whole other factor. So we hire an outside company to clear the parking lots. But our custodians are responsible for the sidewalks. And you, Mark, talked about people taking the route that has been cleared, giving you time to get edge to edge and do the rest of the sidewalks.

Mark Nelson:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the advice for those who are arriving at work on a snowy day to help keep them safe and give you the space to complete the work?

Mark Nelson:
Yeah. Be it our secretaries or the students. They're wearing their outfit today. They don't care that it's snowed. Please carry the nice shoes that go with your outfit in your bag. Wear something that's appropriate for the sidewalks and for getting yourself into the building. We've had a couple falls over my career that have been pretty bad. And it's high heels usually. And it's, “Hey, put the nice shoes in the bag. Bring them into the building. Then change.”

Anthony Godfrey:
So wear footwear that matches the weather.

Mark Nelson:
Yes.

Nathan Morgan:
Let us know if there's any ice out there that we missed. If you see something, report it right away so we can get it fixed. We'll get on the mule. We have all our mules on standby on snow mornings. They're ready to go. All gassed up. All salted up. Even when I finish around the building, I'll go fill it up just for that emergency call for a--

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so you're ready to go out of the spot?

Nathan Morgan:
We're ready to go, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. And I made the mistake years ago in the high school parking lot of walking up. And I saw a dark spot by my car. I'm like, “I'm sure it's just wet.” And it was ice. Watch for the dark spots. Don't assume that they're wet. I took a pretty good spill. And yes, we did pull it up on the security camera. And yes, it did look hilarious. How about taking a different route? Do you find that people take the sidewalk they're used to, even if there's one right next to it that's been cleared? They'll walk their normal path, right through the snow?

Mark Nelson:
We get that, yes. We get that. And our goal is to get to every sidewalk so you can have your normal day. But please use those paths we've cleared already. And know that we're salting those, so that's the safest path into the building. And we're putting down-- I mean, in your building, I don't know how many pallets you go through of salt, but I go through two pallets of ice melt a season.

Anthony Godfrey:
Two pallets?

Mark Nelson:
Yeah. And that's about 2,500 pounds per pallet of ice melt. So yeah.

Nathan Morgan:
About two years ago, we went through about eight pallets. It was quite a good time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, now let's talk about two years ago.

Mark Nelson:
22, 23.

Anthony Godfrey:
Two years ago with our two back-to-back snow days.

Nathan Morgan:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
That was remarkable. And I think it was fairly unique to Jordan because, like you described, Mark, we have the wind, we have the lake effect, and we could not clear our campuses fast enough to bring people back in. I'm still a hero in my neighborhood because we had two snow days in a row. And actually, the neighborhood kids came and cleared my driveway as a thank you for the snow day.

Mark Nelson:
That's cool. That's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
But anyway, tell me about what it was like working through that two-day blizzard.

Nathan Morgan:
The first day was kind of overwhelming. I remember being out on the front sidewalk about seven, eight o'clock at night. And then I got the text from the custodial department that says, "Go home. We're closing school tomorrow. Go home. Get warmed up. Come back tomorrow morning, clear the snow." And that was kind of a relief because it was the drifts from the sidewalk, from the road to the sidewalk, the plow can't even get through. It was stuck.

Mark Nelson:
It was crazy.

Nathan Morgan:
It was crazy.

Mark Nelson:
Yeah, we had 10, 12-foot piles of snow from doing that. We had to bring in grounds crew to remove those piles at a lot of the facilities because it was so bad. And that's another shout-out to our grounds crew. They help us so much. If we have an area that our mules won't do or this or that, they will get over and help us when they can. And they're an integral part of that us too. And then also our mechanics. All of our equipment needs maintenance. So our mechanics and maintenance, they are awesome when it comes to helping us keep that equipment running. I'm currently using 16-year-old equipment, but it still keeps running and taxpayers are getting their greatest bang for the buck on this equipment because we do keep it running until it doesn't run.

Nathan Morgan:
100%, they are amazing. We have 20-year-old mules out there and they break and they're back up and going the next day without a beat.

Anthony Godfrey:
We do really have hundreds of great employees who dive in, do the work. And like you said, at all hours, 3 in the morning. And I know that on some of our snow days in the past, it's been a delivery day for Cisco. So then we have our nutrition services managers here in the snow, even though everyone else is home. Custodians are here, nutrition services managers are here to receive that food delivery. So there's a lot that goes on even when it feels like things are shut down. I can't thank you guys enough for the work that you do. You do keep us safe and warm and ready to learn. And that is no small feat and it's a 24/7 job, I know.

Nathan Morgan:
Oh, yeah, definitely.

Mark Nelson:
We enjoy it.

Nathan Morgan:
And I love it. I love this job. Yeah.

Mark Nelson:
Yeah. And the poor people in the portables is another thing. We worry about them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah. The whole portables is a whole separate thing.

Mark Nelson:
When we were in elementaries, all those portables have to be cleared too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Those metal ramps and metal staircases that are not very winter-friendly.

Mark Nelson:
Yeah. And pre-send your kids to school with appropriate gloves and things. They love to go outside even when it's...

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's true. That's true. They need to dress warm.

Mark Nelson:
Uh-huh.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Well, you guys do a tremendous job. These are great tips on staying safe in the winter. Take the cleared path, wear good footwear, and be ready to walk on the cleared sidewalks until everything is cleared edge to edge.

Mark Nelson:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
But thank you very much. Thanks for taking the time today. And hopefully, we can continue a year like we've had. Lots of snow in the mountains, over 100% snowpack up there, and nice dry roads and sidewalks.

Nathan Morgan:
Oh, yes. Counting on it.

Mark Nelson:
We're ready. We're ready for it though.

Nathan Morgan:
We need it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right.

Stay with us. When we come back we'll hear from more employees who are working hard to avoid falls and other accidents in winter weather and throughout the year.

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.

Break:
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 here with Brandon and Bonnie talking about how we avoid accidents, spills, injuries, especially during the icy and snowy season. Thanks for coming. Introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the role you play in Jordan School District.

Bonnie Brennan:
Okay, my name is Bonnie Brennan. I'm the director of insurance services, which kind of encompasses a few little things. All of the workers comp, accidents, property casualty, as well as the employee benefits.

Brandon Conti:
My name is Brandon Conti. I'm the risk management coordinator. I deal with all the compliance for the buildings, all the safety-related compliance, and fire code issues I deal with.

Anthony Godfrey:
That encompasses a lot. I don't think people realize. We've got 75 buildings or so, 57,000 students, 9,000 employees, and all the parents and patrons and others who come to buildings. So there are lots of opportunities for, unfortunately, now and then an accident to happen or something to go wrong. We work hard to mitigate those. But let's talk about some of the things that those who are visiting our schools or working in our schools can do to minimize the possibility of injury.

Bonnie Brennan:
Well, I think the most important thing is to just be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention when you're walking in. Watch for that black ice. Make sure you're going into the entrance that's been plowed and salted.

Brandon Conti:
Yeah, I just think we always need to be aware of our surroundings. I mean, that's why I deal with all. We come through the buildings and check everything regularly. But especially this time of year with winter weather, our biggest concern is always slips, trips, and falls. And understanding what door to use, like you said and just being aware of all your surroundings. One of the big things we push is proper footwear. How many people are wearing such horrible shoes for winter weather? Just even high heels. Shoes with no tread at all. Some of our hugest concerns right there.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've been guilty of that. I have noticed. You slip a little bit. You look and I guess I have worn these dress shoes beyond their natural life.

Brandon Conti:
So one of our big concerns right now is when students are being dropped off, we want to have one path of entrance really clear. So we're really pushing that towards the custodians to have the main entrance of the school cleared first. So that everyone knows that's the entrance to the building.

Anthony Godfrey:
So when you pull up and it's been snowy, you may have to adapt.

Brandon Conti:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
You may not be able to take the same route that you normally take. Walking in or driving in. And that goes back to what you said earlier, building some time so that you can adapt and adjust and not be in a hurry. Tell us about some of the other things that are involved in helping avoid risk and keeping people safe in Jordan District.

Bonnie Brennan:
If you see something, say something. Our custodians can't be everywhere. So if you see something that's been spilled, hang around there until someone is able to get a sign up.

Anthony Godfrey:
About driving onto campus and our parking lots, which our parking lots are cleared by a third party.

Brandon Conti:
That's correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about what people could do to avoid accidents in our parking lots.

Brandon Conti:
First and foremost would be to slow down. Everyone wants to drop their students off so fast that it just causes such a problem, especially if there is snow on the ground. So that's what I'd always say is just slow down and then just pay attention to all the surroundings around you.

Bonnie Brennan:
Yeah, because then you don't, if you're slowing down, you don't have to brake abruptly. And if the roads are icy, then you're going to slip.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's easy for us to maybe talk about some of this and maybe people listening are saying, well, yeah, there's a yellow sign that there's a wet floor. I'll pay attention to that. Or if the roads are icy, of course, I'm going to drive more slowly. But that's not the experience in the moment when you're feeling the stress of getting to school on time when other things are going on. We can’t always count on that. So I think it's an important reminder. We all know we ought to do those things. It's remembering to do them in the moment that's tricky.

Bonnie Brennan:
Right. Be a little late. A little late for work or whatever, as long, you know, but just be safe. Get there safely.

Brandon Conti:
Some of the strange ones we see sometimes is like parents will be in such a hurry that they don't really clear off their car all the way. And then suddenly that's a big deal because then you can't see their turn signals, you can't see that they're braking, their lights aren't on, and then cars in front of you behind you don't even see you.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have never done that, Brandon. I've never done that.

Bronnie Brennan:
Common sense.

Brandon Conti:
Clear the snow off your car.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a fair point.

Brandon Conti:
Their whole windshield is still covered in snow, except for the windshield wipers only. You can't see around you because you've got to be able to see all around you when you're looking.

Bonnie Brennan:
Especially when there's children around.

Brandon Conti:
Crosswalks.

Bonnie Brennan:
You don't know what they're doing.

Brandon Conti:
You don't see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Expect the unexpected. Expect the unexpected when you're driving around students.

Brandon Conti:
This year has not been too heavy on snowfall, but it's been so cold, so ice is such a concern.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Brandon Conti:
Lots and lots of ice melts going around the district right now. So always be aware of the ice melt and the salt.

Anthony Godfrey:
People may underestimate how early our buildings are used. We have kids lifting weights at high schools at 5.30 in the morning and food deliveries and food being prepared even earlier. Bus drivers arriving before five o'clock. So it's very complicated. It's a lot of work, and I appreciate everything that you both do to help keep us safe out there.

Bonnie Brennan:
Thank you, and we appreciate everyone out there in all of buildings.

Brandon Conti:
Yeah, this has been great. Everyone's very in compliance, and I appreciate everyone's hard work.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you.

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)

Doug Meacham:
Players see me getting rattled and riled up. It's a natural tendency for them to start to lose focus and I'm trying to look for every advantage for us to win a game.

Carlo Mulford:
Culture has really become a tight-knit group of friends and success that the school has never seen in basketball.

Cale Barclay:
We made it to the semifinals last year and now, right now, we're on pace to hopefully win the region.

Stockton:
Confidence is the biggest thing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are in it to win it on and off the basketball court at Herriman High School.

On this episode of the Supercast, it's “game on” as we talk to players and coach Doug Meacham about their love of basketball and how it has built character and a culture of teamwork at Herriman High School.

We're here at Herriman High School today to talk with the boys' basketball coach Coach Meacham. Thanks for taking time to talk with us. You're a counselor here, a coach here. It's a very busy season with class changes and the season well underway so thank you very much for taking the time.

Doug Meacham:
You bet. I appreciate having the opportunity.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what you love about coaching basketball.

Doug Meacham:
There's probably easier to talk maybe what I don't love because there's so many things that are just awesome. I think just listening to these guys talk about their experience in terms of how they approach things and their leadership qualities, to just watch young men grow, is to me the biggest satisfaction. To get some of those emails back after things have happened in their life there are great accomplishments. That to me, that's the reward. Basketball is a part of it, but you know I think molding young men has been the biggest thing. As former coaches have had such a huge impact on me, you know, I hope to do the same.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of those coaches in your life that have had an impact.

Doug Meacham:
Well, I go back to my high school coaches Coach Knight, Coach Eccles, guys who always would say things like, you know, “The things that you're learning now will impact you later in life” and they do. And how they handled their business with their families with just them as individual people was impressive to me. I was fortunate to be a walk-on at the University of Utah with Coach Majerus for a few years. I was a grad assistant with him and so I was around just a phenomenal team and a staff that I just learned so much. It was just amazing to experience that part of it and when I was sitting there sitting at some of those practices is where I thought you know I probably need to do something along the lines of coaching basketball.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic I love that you've built on those experiences and are now providing those to so many other students. When I mentioned to your principal that I was going to be interviewing you for the podcast, other principals overheard that and said “Oh yeah, he's the guy you want to talk to.” So your reputation is really out there for being such a great coach and a great support to these students. Tell me what is your how would you summarize your approach to coaching?

Doug Meacham:
My approach to coaching is how I would want my own son to be coached. I want to give them a hundred percent. I don't want to ask them to do something that I wasn't willing to do myself. I loved being around teams that understood how to play for the team. Those are the special players and sometimes that takes a few years to break some habits of looking for their own. The generation we live in now is you know you get on these AAU teams and it's all about I've got to figure out how to get my shots and I got to get my opportunity. To combat that with your success will grow once your teammates are thriving. I think as you look at you know Carlo, his last game he had six assists and one turnover. He's a guy that can go and make a basket anytime he wants but he's understanding that it all comes back to him when he puts his teammates first. He'll carry that message into his life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, that sense of teamwork is so important and it translates into so many other situations well beyond high school basketball. Tell me about the impact you've talked about watching young men grow. Tell me about the growth that you've seen and the changes that you've seen in these student athletes who've been part of the program.

Doug Meacham:
These guys– for me, it's they've had a work ethic. This is one of the first groups that I have to kick them out of the gym. It's one of those things where if they can't get into the gym here they go find a church. They understand that that's part of it and they've learned to fall in love with the process. Every time after a win I'll say that this maybe isn't how you imagine this win went but it was awesome. Because the expectations for each individual are all slightly different sometimes but they can always have that feeling of you know we did it. It was accomplishment. That's what's fun to watch, is the little switch go over to my role might be that I take three shots this game but I'm gonna make them the best three shots and do my part with the little things that don't get a lot of attention.

Anthony Godfrey:
Figure out your part and make the most of that. How do you set a tone during the game? I always admire how coaches are able to contain themselves and make the most. I mean there's only so much you can do during the game, the preparation comes before that. Talk to me about that sideline mentality.

Doug Meacham:
Yeah, I always tell our parents and players I'm gonna be on the refs for about five percent of the game the other 95 I'm gonna be coaching and teaching. I think if players see me getting rattled and riled up it's a natural tendency for them to start to lose focus and I'm trying to look for every advantage for us to win a game. If I lose focus with one of my players because they think the ref is taking it to us then they're losing the big picture of it. So I think having some experience has helped me with that but I also know that you know I always tell these guys before a game “Hay's in the barn”. Some of them I had to explain what that term meant but they understand we did our work and now let's go and enjoy the rewards.

Anthony Godfrey:
You mentioned hay in the barn. Have you ever run the picket fence?

Doug Meacham:
Similar versions, just haven't called it the picket-

Anthony Godfrey:
Look, I want to be assistant coach for one day for two minutes and I want you to let me call ‘run the picket fence.’

Doug Meacham:
Well, the problem is some of these guys haven't even seen Hoosiers.

Anthony Godfrey:
They haven’t? That's required.

Doug Meacham:
I agree there are some I've shown them scenes and we'll finish Hoosiers

Anthony Godfrey;
I think UHSAA has a requirement in the rulebook that you have to watch Hoosiers.

Doug Meacham:
I agree.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I can't thank you enough for coaching here at Herriman High School and for the tremendous positive impact you're having on these boys.

Doug Meacham:
I appreciate it. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Don't go away. When we come back players talk about how they play hard and learn together and support each other as a team with basketball helping them learn lots of life lessons.

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.

Break:
It's something all parents need to know in the event of an emergency in one of our schools. Hi, I'm Matt Alvernaz, a former law enforcement officer at Army Ranger, now school safety coordinator for Jordan School District. We're talking about the Standard Response Protocol, or SRP.

Knowing SRP will help to keep everyone safe and informed if there is an emergency in one of our schools or buildings. Standard Response Protocol 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. The SRP actions now used in all schools statewide are HOLD, SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, and SHELTER. To educate yourself and your children on these actions, visit schoolsafety.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
Coach tell us about these three players we're going to talk with.

Doug Meacham:
These are our three captains and they represent our team and program and they were selected by teammates and coaches. They embody the word student athlete. When you have leaders that go out not only say they get out and do you know what's needed to be done. This is Stockton. He's a senior and he's got an offer to go play at Green River. It'll probably be some others you know down the road but just a great student. He's our sharpshooter on the court. This is Carlo Mulford he's been starting here since he's a freshman and he's just a gym rat. And gym rat in basketball terms is awesome. Just means he wants to stay after as long as possible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Doug Meacham:
And it's it's why he's where he's at.

Anthony Godfrey:
He keeps Kobe hours.

Doug Meacham:
Yes, he does. He understands that and he's got an offer to SUU and some other junior colleges and others are interested in. He’s only a junior so he'll have others coming down the road. And Cale Barclay here he's committed to SUU and 4.0 student. You know, all the teachers when they talk about any one of these guys they always say “Hey, they are great in their classes” and they understand that. They take that as a priority and it's really easy to coach these guys.

Anthony Godfrey:
Introduce yourselves guys and tell me about being part of Coach Meacham's team.

Stockton:
I'm Stockton. Just since Meach has been here, it's been two years that I played for him now. It's my second year and just the culture change has been such a big thing for me. The confidence I've gained from playing with him and his belief is just so big for not only me but our team in general.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me you're the sharpshooter so what are the elements of great basketball shot?

Stockton:
Yeah, I mean just gotta get your feet, gotta get your elbow under. I mean, confidence is the biggest thing. if you're struggling with confidence you're not gonna be a good shooter so always believe in yourself.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Is there some self-talk that you do during the game or is it all just happening to you and you're in the moment?

Stockton:
I feel like sometimes it's in the moment. You don't ever want to tell yourself you're not gonna make a shot. You always want to have that next play mentality like coach says a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
The next play mentality. That's great. I love that.

Carlo Mulford:
I'm Carlo Mulford and playing for Meacham has been a great experience for me. These past few years have been great for our program and he just really helps build our confidence. Our culture has really become a tight-knit group of friends and we really want to see each other succeed. He takes a lot of time he takes a lot of sacrifices time out of his day to come help us prepare and get better and you know time out from his own job. I really appreciate that and it's been a great experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
He says you have a great work ethic. Talk to me about the hours you put in. Is it ever hard to stay at the gym longer?

Carlo Mulford:
It's definitely hard, but it's just you know, motivation will get you really far but discipline will just get you even further. There's a lot of days where I'm too tired, or feel like I'm too tired. I don't want to go put in the extra work but it's just a discipline that will just keep you going. Keep you in the gym to continue to get better.

Anthony Godfrey:
I feel the same way about clearing my email inbox. Ten more emails, come on ten more. Let's do it. Okay, how about how about you tell me about your experience.

Cale Barclay:
Yes, I'm Cale Barclay and the last two years, basketball has been the best basketball that I've ever been a part of. First two years here our team struggled. Didn't have a lot of camaraderie or like team togetherness and then Meacham came in and a culture change. Just a huge like energy boost really was the biggest thing and we've seen success that the school has ever seen in basketball. Made it to the semifinals last year and now right now we're on pace to hopefully win the region. That's never been done. Our biggest goal is a state championship and that's what we're looking forward to right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the sound of that. You talked about teamwork. Tell me about how you've learned to rely on each other and talk to me about leadership as a team captain.

Stockton:
Yeah, so I think the biggest thing is just like being friends along with being teammates. Like, we all the time that we're spending outside of school and outside of basketball is usually together. We're all hanging out all the time. So we enjoy each other's presence. Coach says a lot to find guys that you like to work with so the coaching staff that he has he loves to be around. And that's the same with like the players. I just love these guys so it makes it makes it easy to go to battle for ‘em and want to want to do things to make each other better.

Carlo Mulford:
So like he said, we're all best friends. If we're not in the gym together then we're out you know messing around, hanging out with each other at someone's house. So I mean, we've all grown up together so what Meacham has done for us, you know really pushing our culture for a team environment, team basketball. Being able to play for each other and not just ourselves and wanting goals for our team to succeed.

Cale Barclay:
Yeah, I mean there's always been a friendship between all of us. I mean most of our rotation and players we've all played together since second grade. We've all had really tight like not only friendship, but we believe in each other and we know what we're all capable of. So if we're not performing to that standard then we know how to what things to say or what certain things to just keep us motivated and keep on going. I think that's the biggest thing too.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. How has being a part of this program changed you? Coach talked about you being student athletes and being really strong students. What's the relationship between being a student and an athlete and have you been changed in this program?

Stockton:
Well yeah, I mean like Cale said in the first two years here it was it was a struggle. Obviously, we're all good, good friends before, but the sense of togetherness wasn't to the standard we would have wanted it at. Ever since Meach came here he just kept that togetherness. I mean we all struggled at the start but ever since he's come in we've really just took that role to a whole other level.

Carlo Mulford:
I mean yeah, what it's done for me personally, a lot. He introduced the “Eyes Up, Do The Work!” program which is really good for not only us but it also brings in a bunch of the other captains in the school. We all get to learn from someone that'll come in and teach us and have us look out for not just our teammates but others around the school. Which is very good for not just us, but everybody really. The example we have for others in the school I know it's really good for everybody.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that focus on helping support you off the court has had an impact on the court clearly.

Carlo Mulford:
Sure. Yeah, like the other people within the school obviously, you know, we look out for them I want to be good examples of them. I'm sure that's why our turnouts for the games are a lot better this year because you want to be a friend of people. You want to be a good example to people, and other people want to be around you if you're that person for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's got to feel good to see that support.

Carlo Mulford:
Oh yeah, for sure. We appreciate it.

Cale Barclay:
Yeah, the student athlete part of it, I mean Meacham's a counselor here at Herriman so he's always checking up on our grades and everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
He has access.

Cale Barclay:
Yeah, it's really easy. So he's been good about making sure that people are in the classroom because he preaches ‘how you do anything is how you do everything’. So if you're good in the classroom, staying on top of your grades, then you're gonna be successful everywhere else. So that's a big focus of ours and I think that's helped the team because then there's not people sitting out for grades and doing homework and all that stuff. Everybody can be there on time, all that type of stuff so it's good.

Anthony Godfrey:
You kind of just turned into a motivational speaker. I'm kind of amped now I'm ready to maybe not get out on the court, maybe get into a meeting and really you know get after it. Anyway, you guys are all super impressive. Coach talked about some of the opportunities that you have. Tell me what's what's next for you after Herriman High.

Stockton:
Well, I just received an offer about a couple days ago to play at Green River College Community College in Washington. That's obviously a huge thing to me. Seeing my success and all the work that I've put in to get to this level. I'm super thankful for that. Obviously, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet, just kind of play it by ear, but I'm very interested in that and yeah we'll see. Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great.

Carlo Mulford:
I'm not quite sure whether I want to go straight into college or serve an LDS mission. I'm gonna just see what my options are for you know at Southern Utah already where I have a scholarship and College at Southern Idaho. Whether my opportunities would be best for me to go right now or like after my senior year or you know to serve a mission if that would be best. Also, you know the other schools I'm talking to, hopefully, I can you know gain some more interest in other schools and look at my opportunities there.

Anthony GOdfrey:
It's early in that process.

Carlo Mulford:
I got a couple years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Cale Barclay:
Yeah, so I actually signed to Southern Utah a couple months ago right before the season. Super excited about it. That'll be the spot I go next year. I'm not going on a mission, so I'll be there in 2025. I'm just super excited about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
From Mustang to Thunderbird.

Cale Barclay:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's the name for your autobiography now. Okay and then there'll be another mascot after that.

Cale Barclay:
Yeah, that’s the goal.

Anthony Godfrey:
We just need that whole progression. Well, thanks a lot for talking with me. It's gonna be really exciting to watch the rest of the season and best of luck with everything.

Students:
Thank you.

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.

(upbeat music)