Supercast

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a showcase of student talent, musical magic, and seasonal joy. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Joel P. Jensen Middle School for a holiday music program that will make your spirits bright one note at a time. Listen and enjoy. We're in Ms. Johnson's classroom just after the performance. Tell me about this group of students.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, this is our concert choir. So it's our students who are taking choir for their second or third year here at Joel P. Jensen. We have a few students who are seventh graders as well who just came to boost our numbers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the process of taking them from not knowing these songs and some of them not having experienced singing, to being at this point. They sounded great.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, we do a lot of learning up front, doing rounds where students have to really get used to singing their part independently and start learning how to read music. Then it takes us about two months to learn our concert. So usually each class is learning about four or five songs. We start with just learning the notes, and then we try to make it more musical, add dynamics, the louds and softs, and make it more interesting and emotional from there.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm always amazed at how music teachers, both instrumental and choral, are able to have each individual practice their part and then bring everyone together and blend all of that so it's a unified sound. Talk to me about that process.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, we work with just the altos or just the sopranos, and then sometimes we'll spend like 20 minutes just working on eight measures. So just a really small portion of the song, making sure everyone understands how their part fits in with the rest. Yeah, it's fun to see how everyone is able to find their note and by relying on the other people who are on their part, but then still have that independence from the other parts in the group. It just all comes together so beautifully at the end of the day.

Anthony Godfrey:
So to blend without being lost.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
I always get lost. Tell me about your journey to becoming a music teacher. How long have you been here and what made you interested in music from the start?

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, this is my second year teaching at Joel P. Jensen and ever. I graduated from college in 2024. So it's been a fun journey to have my first choir. I actually decided to teach music because I had a wonderful middle school choir director and several wonderful piano teachers who made me love music and see the benefit that it could have to my life personally. I felt like I really found a place in choir. It's nice to be able to offer other students now those same opportunities to have connections socially and to understand their emotions better by working through them in music class. It's really rewarding to pass that forward.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's a huge personal benefit. Tell me about one of those instructors who had such an impact on you.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, so I lived in Pennsylvania when I was in middle school and my choir teacher was named Mrs. Farrell. She had really high expectations for us as a choir class and made us better musicians and better people, teaching us to really care for each other and always seek to do our best at anything we did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you find yourself doing some things that you experienced in her class, using some of that now as a teacher?

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, for sure. I learned so much from her, from my professors at college and I've found some great mentors here in the District as well, high school and middle school choir teachers that I've been able to steal some of their best ideas from.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good.

Ms. Johnson:
Yeah, it's been great.

Anthony Godfrey:
We love that. Well, whatever you're doing, it's working. They sounded wonderful and I just really appreciate everything you're doing and we're excited to have you here at Joel P.

Ms. Johnson:
Thank you. This is "Beautiful December" by Amy F. Burnin.

Now when the garden awaits, the return of spring.

Now when the silence is deep and blue.

Now when the winter has cast its spell again.

Beautiful December, beautiful December.

Here where the snow is as soft as the woolly land.

Here where the sky falls deep and blue.

Here where the stars are so bright you reach for them.

Beautiful December, beautiful December.

Child, may sleep in peace tonight.

Dream of songs that rise on silken leaves.

When you wake enchanted by snow's fun light.

Sing the songs that came to you in dreams.

Your beautiful December dreams.

When the storm awaits, the return of spring.

Now when the garden awaits, the return of spring.

When the silence is deep and blue.

Deep and blue.

Blue now.

When the winter is cast as spell again.

Beautiful December, beautiful December.

Beautiful December, beautiful December.

Beautiful December.

Blue.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with students who are in concert choir here at Joel P. Jensen Middle School. Tell me, what's it like being in concert choir? What do you love most about it?

Students:
It's good being at Joel P. Jensen in the choir because you get to do concerts and it's fun singing.

I get a lot of opportunities to socialize with other students and reunite as one class and then work on projects altogether.

I feel like I get to express my emotions through my voice while I'm singing and it's just really fun to do that.

It's really fun and Miss Johnson's like the best teacher.

I really like singing in choir with the other choir kids. It helps me feel more united with them and to become best friends with them and there's like lots of opportunities to just go and perform and sing your heart out and it's great.

This is “Like It's Christmas” by the Jonas Brothers arranged by Mac Huff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more Sounds of the Season from Joel P. Jensen Middle School.

Music]

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:
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.

Ms. Johnson:
This is the Bells of Christmas Medley arranged by Greg Gilpin.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, tell me about Miss Johnson. What's it like being in her class?

Female Student:
She's an amazing teacher. She's very patient and sweet when it comes to her students. If you're ever struggling when it comes to a certain section of the song, you can tell her that, and she will help you out.

Female Student:
She is very kind and she never makes you sing something you don't want to, but she still helps you develop your singing skills and become a better singer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you sang some great songs, Jonas Brothers and Medley, all of that. What is your favorite holiday song, winter song, or Christmas song, whatever you choose?

Female Student:
I personally really like to sing the Jonas Brothers song because it's more energetic and it's easier to sing those higher notes since it's more... yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Although I'm not a good dancer, I wanted to move to that one. You guys had me going.

Male Student:
My favorite is "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel." Specifically, I like the version with For King and Country “I Need to Breathe." I feel like their voices work really well together.

Female Student:
I like "Silent Night" because it's so peaceful and it's so pretty.

Male Student:
My favorite song is "Wings the Bells It's Christmas" because it has a lot of Christmas spirit and a lot of joy.

Female Student:
I personally like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because I think it's for adults and kids and families to just sing together, and it's really easy.

Female Student:
I personally like the J I N G O Bells because it's a fun version of Jingle Bells. I also really like "Silent Night." It just brings a lot of peace when you're having a hard time.

Ms. Johnson:
This is "Ring the Bells. It's Christmas" by Douglas E. Wagner.

♪ Ring the bells and spread the cheer of sing noel, noel ♪

♪ Christmas time returns and all around us we can tell ♪

♪ Colored lights upon the tree, gifts for you and me ♪

♪ Herald song in harmony, noel, noel, it's Christmas ♪

♪ Ring the bells and spread the cheer of sing noel, noel ♪

♪ Christmas time returns and all around us we can tell ♪

♪ Golden lights upon the tree, gifts for you and me ♪

♪ Herald song in harmony, noel, noel, it's Christmas ♪

♪ Sing, noel, noel ♪

♪ Sing, noel, noel ♪

♪ Sing, noel, noel ♪

♪ Christmas time returns and all around us we can tell ♪

♪ Golden lights upon the tree, gifts for you and me ♪

♪ Herald song in harmony, noel, noel it's Christmas ♪

♪ It's Christmas

♪ Golden lights upon the tree, noel, noel noel ♪

♪ Christmas time returns and all around us we can tell ♪

♪ Golden lights upon the tree, gifts for you and me ♪

♪ Herald song in harmony, ring the bells and spread the cheer ♪

♪ Sing, noel, it's Christmas time ♪

Anthony Godfrey:
Have a great break! 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 and we hope you have a wonderful winter break.

Anthony Godfrey:
I heard that Miss Craig has described your particular project here as being healthy and gross at the same time.

Chase Barlow:
Yeah so basically she's talking about the fact that our tank is thriving a lot like we have a lot of activity going on in there and if you just look at it it's it's not a very clear water it's very murky and kind of gross. It doesn't smell very good either.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are less than an inch long, weigh mere grams, and move incredibly slowly with average speeds of 0.03 miles per hour. We are talking about snails, a soft-bodied mollusk in a class called gastrocato. On this episode of the Supercast we take you to an advanced placement biology class at Mountain Ridge High School where small snails are having a big impact on students studying the ecosystem. Find out the role snails are playing in the AP course and how the class is capitalizing on the snail-based learning.

(music)

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Miss Craig here at Mountain Ridge High School about her AP environmental science class. Thanks for taking a few minutes with us.

Ms. Craig:
Yeah of course anytime, thanks for coming out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about the project that has been going on and what's happening today with students.

Ms. Craig:
So in AP environmental science we're learning about the biogeochemical cycles. So things like carbon and nitrogen and phosphorus and water cycles and we started this project six weeks ago. So each group got a little aquatic habitat and each group got between six and eight snails depending on the group. They've just been monitoring the nutrients, keeping track of dissolved oxygen, trying to keep their snail habitats as healthy as possible for the last six weeks.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they've had to test hypotheses and figure out how exactly to do that.

Ms. Craig:
Yes. So each group after the two-week period after we collected some baseline data each group made a modification to their tank so they changed something that would impact the nutrient cycle and then we continued to collect data for four more weeks so that they could see how that change impacted the lifestyle of the snails.

Anthony Godfrey:
The only cycle that I really caught was the water cycle.

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So all of these different cycles — The phosphorus cycle, was that one of them as well?

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So all of these cycles are aspects of environmental science that they'll be tested on as part of the AP test.

Ms. Craig:
Exactly. Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about some of those other cycles. The water cycle I'm familiar with but tell me about some of the others.

Ms. Craig:
So nitrogen and phosphorus are critical nutrients that every living thing needs in order to be able to survive. It's part of your DNA, it's used in cellular functions. So we're measuring those critical nutrients. We're measuring dissolved oxygen levels as well which can help us keep track of the rate of photosynthesis and respiration rates, and how well the quality of overall quality of the water.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what's happening now today. They've each had their individual biome where they've been experimenting adding different factors into the environment to see how it impacts the snails.

Anthony Godfrey:
What happens now? They're combining everything together and what is that going to demonstrate to the students?

Ms. Craig:
So basically we've had a few unfortunate fatalities and some of the water is getting kind of murky. There are no filters on these biomes so at this point, after the six weeks is over, we're gonna combine them into one big habitat. We're gonna put a filter on there and then I have some students that are interested in earning their Sentinel Service Hours diploma, which is 80 service hours outside of school time, and they have volunteered to monitor the snails and try to keep that bigger tank as healthy as possible.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the snails who were part of the experiment now get to live on in a more regulated community environment.

Ms. Craig:
Yes, they're moving on up, they'll be living in a mansion, they'll have maid service that will come and take care of their water and clean it and everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
The survivors now get the reward of having the better environment.

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is this something that you've done in years past?

Ms. Craig:
So this is only my second year teaching this class and I did do this experiment for the first time last year and this is the second time.

Anthony Godfrey:
How did the mansion stage of the snail experiment go last time?

Ms. Craig:
It was pretty good. We didn't have as many snails to begin with but they some of the snails survived long enough that I had to rehome them over the summer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so they made it through the entire school year?

Ms. Craig:
Yeah, some of them made it through the entire school year.

Anthony Godfrey:
How exactly does one rehome a snail?

Ms. Craig:
Well, you make friends with middle school teachers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, and you help persuade them of the varied uses they might have for these snails.

Ms. Craig:
Oh, they were excited to have them. They're like, "Oh, snails clean my tank, yes I'd love to take them."

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, great, okay, so snails with a purpose.

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. Is there a particular variety of snail that you're dealing with here? What exactly, just so for folks who might say, "I wonder what kind of snail that is? I need to Google that.”

Ms. Craig:
Yeah, so we have two different varieties of snails. We have pond snails, which our principal lovingly refers to as swamp snails. And then we also have the mystery snails. So they're the bigger ones that you can really see them moving around. Their antenna come out and they're a lot more active and fun to watch.

Anthony Godfrey:
The mystery snails?

Ms. Craig:
Mystery snails.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that the actual term for them?

Ms. Craig:
There's a scientific name for them, but if you go shopping for them, you'll want to look for mystery snails.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mystery snails? Yes. Wow, okay. Snails with something to hide?

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, tell me just about AP Environmental Science overall. What do you hope, besides trying to do well on the task which is important, what do you hope students take away from this class?

Ms. Craig:
For me, the environment has always been something that I felt very passionate about, especially living here in Utah with our air quality and the Great Salt Lake levels diminishing. I feel like we, it's really important that we train some students to be able to work towards solving some of these problems and tackling some of these tough issues.

Anthony Godfrey:
With some know-how and with experiments that teach them that they can figure things out, perhaps that will be the result.

Ms. Craig:
I hope so.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe these students and these snails can solve those problems. I'd love to have those problems fixed.

Ms. Craig:
Yes, I would too. And I know these students are really, really bright and capable and they're passionate about what they're doing. So I have the ultimate confidence in their abilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you say you've taught this class for two years now. Where were you before? What were you doing before?

Ms. Craig:
Physics, full-time physics.

Anthony Godfrey:
Full-time physics?

Ms. Craig:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how do you like the switch from physics to environmental science?

Ms. Craig:
I love it. I still have four physics classes and two environmental science classes, so it's nice to branch out and do something different. I'm learning too and I've always loved to learn. I'm a lifelong learner, so this has been keeping me engaged as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as a physics teacher, you overcame the inertia that beset some of us and moved to something new.

Ms. Craig:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright, well that's impressive, and I know you're doing a great job. The principal, as I was walking to your class, had so many nice things to say and when I walked in it was instantly engaging for me and I didn't even know what was going on. But you can tell that great things are happening. So thanks for everything you're doing.

Ms. Craig:
Thank you. Thanks for coming by.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. More at Mountain Ridge High School.

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.jordan district.org.

Female Voice:
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 "Bluesbusters" 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:
Hi guys. How's it going? We're talking with three students today from Mountain Ridge High School about their snails. Tell me, introduce yourself, tell me what grade you're in and tell me about these snails a little bit.

Sophie Burdette:
I'm Sophie Burdette. I'm a senior.

Kamelalila Lilo:
I'm Kamelalila Lilo. I'm a junior.

Clark Fowler:
I'm Clark Fowler and I'm a senior.

Chase Barlow:
I'm Chase Barlow and I'm a junior.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did you know each other well before this or have the snails brought you together?

Chase Barlow:
I think definitely the snails have brought us closer together to this unit.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay well that's a beautiful thing. So tell me about what this unit has involved and what you've learned.

Sophie Burdette:
So this unit was mostly about aquatic biomes and the factors that affect the biomes and to make this snail biome we started with an empty tank and we added gravel, algae, elodia which are aquatic plants, micro crustaceans, two mystery snails and then four smaller pond snails.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh I see the micro animals right there. They are very active. It's kind of like when my dog sees us packing and they know they're going on a trip, these guys seem to know that something is up. Something's happening today.

Sophie Burdette:
They're attracted to attention.

Kamelalila Lilo:
Yeah they want it. Then afterwards, before we change any factor about the tank, we kind of just like test it out how the water is before and how like the control system is before you change anything and then we decided to add like more micro crustaceans to see like how that would change the aquatic biome.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the changes that you've noticed as you introduced to other factors into the biome?

Sophie Burdette:
Well as you can see they're a bit dense of population.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, yes.

Sophie Burdette:
And highly active. Also the water has gone a lot murky which is not a good factor but the snails seem to be hanging on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. By hanging on you mean still alive. Surviving.

Sophie Burdette:
Yes. Surviving.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. Surviving this apocalyptic biodome that you have created. So tell me more about the snails.

Kamelalila Lilo:
Our two mystery snails that we have in there are Shaquille O'Sneil and then Brinley's Snail. Brinley's Snail was brought into our tank after her beloved partner died and she was left with a clutch of babies and so she brought, she was brought into this tank to kind of have the babies have them hatch. And also —

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.

Chase Barlow:
You see him?

Anthony Godfrey:
Am I supposed to say that it's cute?

Chase Barlow:
I don't you know that's up for your —

Anthony Godfrey:
Here I'm gonna use my phone to get a little bit closer.

Anthony Godfrey:
We could also put them under the microscope.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Oh yeah that is very cute.

Sophie Burdette:
Paco. That's Paco. Everyone is Paco. Every baby's name is Paco.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where did that come from?

Sophie Burdette:
Two minutes ago when I made it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Sophie Burdette:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you went with what felt right?

Kamelalila Lilo:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
I get Shaquille O'Sneil but why Brinley?

Kamelalila Lilo:
We weren't the ones to name her. So she kind of just came in.

Anthony Godfrey:
She was Brinley. The name chose her. You didn't choose the name. Okay fair enough.

Sophie Burdette:
We had a shell like Presley. Unfortunately he passed away pretty early on.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's unfortunate. You know big stars sometimes shine bright and then burn out. I heard that Miss Craig has described your particular project here as being healthy and gross at the same time. Tell me what that means.

Chase Barlow:
Yeah so basically she's talking about the fact that our tank is thriving a lot. Like we have a lot of activity going on in there. But the ammonia levels are probably way too high to be healthy. And if you just look at it it's not a very clear water. It's very murky and kind of gross. It doesn't smell very good either. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How do you think the snails feel about their environment this morning right now? If I could understand snail thinking.

Clark Fowler:
Well really putting myself in the snail's shoes, I'd say, “Like dude, it's way too like crowded in here, you know. Maybe we should get some more room.” And maybe give them some more algae too because they look a little, they look a little pale and a little stark.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would guess though that they appreciate your efforts to this point to make sure that their life is not only enjoyable but meaningful as well.

Clark Fowler:
I would have to concur.

Anthony Godfrey:
There is a lot of meaning to it. On that note what exactly have you learned from this? About science, about snails, about the world and about each other.

Clark Fowler:
Well first of all I think it's really cool that our teacher was willing to let us do this and kind of find out all about habitats on our own, because our tank was doing really poorly. We had a snail die and then we had super high levels of ammonia which is what happens when something dies. So we said we can fix this and so we added a bunch of other elements. We added micro crustaceans. We added the new snail. And we saw the change that came from it. So I just think it's cool that we got to see that first-hand and do it ourselves.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you apply some scientific knowledge of your own with some help and you're able to make their world at least a better place. And maybe that can apply more broadly. How about for you two? What did you learn from this?

Kamelalila Lilo:
I think it's really brought us four together. It's been very fun being co-parents in a very four way over these hundreds of little critters.

Anthony Godfrey:
Co-parents? I have not heard that term before.

Sophie Burdette:
Strangers to co-parents right away. It was beautiful.

Anthony Godfrey:
Strangers to co-parents. The environmental science story. So tell me what happens next with these creatures?

Kamelalila Lilo:
For most people in our class, we're going to put them into a communal kind of tank. But I think since our tank has been doing so well on its own and I think every part of this tank is really working together to create a really thriving biome. We're just going to keep them in this tank and see how they do.

Sophie Burdette:
We also have baby snails that are very sensitive to outside forces. So switching tanks is just a really risky move. So we think we're going to keep them in here. We're probably going to donate some micro crustations to the public tank. But other than that they're just going to stay in their little home.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well I can see that you want the best for all of these creatures, and luckily you have some scientific knowledge to help you create that. Now I see that you have something mounted on the microscope over there. Can we take a look and see what's going on over there?

Clark Fowler:
So that is a it's a pregnant micro crustation. So this is like when they reproduce like this is what they look for for a little bit. So when you look in there you're going to be able to see the micro custation and then you see all the little eggs inside of it because it's a transparent.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So the micro crustation with really micro crustations inside of it. Okay. Let's take a look. Oh wow. That is really something. It is moving, and it has five little babies. That is kind of cute. Wow. That is really something. And wow. I'm really quite stunned by that. What is all the activity? They're just sitting there moving along. We are not — the babies are not in peril right now because of the petri dish, right?

Clark Fowler:
I think we just fed him too much coffee.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me what are some of the conclusions that you have drawn from this experiment.

Kamelalila Lilo:
So our first hypothesis was asking of how micro crustations a lot of them if they're added if they affect the dissolved oxygen because after our first nail had passed away, we had a really big issue with dissolved oxygen and really low levels. So we found out that once we added all of these micro crustations, our dissolved oxygen levels went back up to a very comfortable and healthy level.

Sophie Burdette:
We were watching our tank and it was on the brink of death. And then we added some micro crustations and it came back to life which was really fun.

Kamelalila Lilo:
That's yeah we realize that as more organisms are in the environment the more it survives and thrives because without even the little critters like the micro crustations which could be overlooked an ecosystem really can't live and survive without them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are there some broader life lessons that you draw from this?

Sophie Burdette:
I guess we can really think back to the people in society or organisms in an ecosystem that really make up the functions of the ecosystem or society and really give thanks back to them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Everyone has a role to play maybe.

Sophie Burdette:
Exactly.

Clark Fowler:
As we're learning this stuff, yeah it's a smaller scale and in a tank, but as we're learning these factors and learning the effects of them we can take it growing up in our world today and really understand how to make things better for our world and all parts of our world just like how this tank has parts of it. All parts of our world we can benefit from just learning this stuff at a young age. So I'm grateful for this class personally.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what this class is like. It seems very engaging to me to be in Ms. Craig's class.

Clark Fowler:
I think it's pretty cool. Ms. Craig is really really good at the hands-on stuff. Whenever we're in this class we're always doing something, learning something with our hands with experience which is really helpful for me to help me learn it, understand it better and have it stick with me which is going to be good because we have to take an AP test in May and so we're going to need to remember as much as we can.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've had the urgency of the impending AP test and the urgency of keeping all these microorganisms alive that have kept you engaged and going and energized.

Clark Fowler:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about for you two, what has this class been like for you in being in Ms. Craig's class?

Kamelalila Lilo:
I think most of all Ms. Craig has really taught me how to love learning and love science especially because before this I got her back in 9th grade as well. Before this I didn't really like science because you sit down and you learn all these mathematical equations and you just learn and learn and learn. But to be able to do something hands-on really teaches me that as long as you put effort in even at like 7.30 in the morning, you can still love these things. And I've come to like really love science because of her. So yeah, I'm just like really grateful for this class like teaching me a new passion.

Sophie Burdette:
I mean everyone else pretty much said but the hands-on experience this is like the funnest math science class I've ever taken. And applying it to the real world which is pretty much all the environmental science is about. It's taking environmental issues and aspects and applying them to the real world and seeing how we can fix them. I think that's a really cool fact about the class and Ms. Craig is amazing. She's always walking around the room, and I can never find her because she's always looks like one of the students because she's the same height. But she's always around talking, and she's right there talking to people about their snails, helping people out. But yeah she's amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well thank you very much. I like your chances on the AP test. Good luck with the rest of the year, and thanks for introducing me to Brinley and Shaquille O’Snail. I'm sorry I never got to meet Shelvis Presley. 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. Bye bye.

Michelle Lovell:
Planet Kindergarten is a movement that we've started in Jordan School District where teachers are working to have their kindergartners know all of their letters and sounds by the 1st of November. I love the sense of community that has come from this school and just getting everyone involved in the success of these youngest learners.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to The Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a unique program that is helping students achieve huge success in reaching their reading goals, and students and teachers alike are having a blast in the process. On this episode of The Supercast, we take you to Riverton Elementary School, where kindergarten students and teachers are dressed as astronauts to celebrate their incredible accomplishments in a districtwide initiative called Planet Kindergarten. The space-themed program is helping students reach for the stars in achieving their literacy goals, and we're about to hear from some of the amazing educators behind it all.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with two of our literacy gurus in the District. Introduce yourselves and tell us why we're here today.

Michelle Lovell:
I'm Michelle Lovell. I'm the literacy consultant for Jordan School District for grades K through 6.

Lori McCarty:
And I'm Lori McCarty, a literacy specialist, specifically for kindergarten.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we are here for Planet Kindergarten. Tell us about what Planet Kindergarten means.

Michelle Lovell:
Planet Kindergarten is a movement that we've started in Jordan School District, where teachers are working to have their kindergartners know all of their letters and sounds by the 1st of November.

Anthony Godfrey:
And this has made a huge impact. We've seen big increases in literacy among kindergarten students, specifically for years running. We have had our best scores ever, year over year and this is a big part of that. Tell us about some of the success we've seen lately.

Michelle Lovell:
Well, so last year, we had three kindergarten teachers who made that goal, and we were so proud of them. But this year, we're happy to report we have 13 teachers who have made the 100% goal.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's every student in their class, regardless of where they started out--

Michelle Lovell:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
--and every letter and sound by the 1st of November.

Michelle Lovell:
And we have over 25 teachers who are in the 90% range. So huge amount of growth from last year to this year. It's been really exciting to watch the data come in.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's out of how many kindergarten teachers total?

Lori McCarty:
140-ish.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that's a whole lot of kindergarten students that are reading better than ever.

Michelle Lovell:
Exactly. Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, there are some students who may come to kindergarten already knowing letters and sounds. Talk to us about what we do to help make sure that we're meeting their needs as well.

Lori McCarty:
So in Jordan School District, we don't have ceilings. So if kids are already reading, if they already know their letter names and sounds, we want to make sure that they're challenged as well. And one of the pieces that we have in place in our structure with Walk to Read is all of the students who need extensions should be getting extensions.

Anthony Godfrey:
And extensions are for those who are advanced beyond--

Lori McCarty:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
--the expectations for that grade and age.

Lori McCarty:
Accelerated reading, accelerated experiences with both reading and writing and so we want to make sure that that differentiation is still happening. I really believe that a good, solid phonics program, having kids know-- have that experience of having a structured phonics program as they go through, even if students are reading, is really beneficial for them. Because they may be able to read, but they may not know how the language works. And so I think that knowing how all the language structures put together, how all of the syllable types work together, will strengthen their reading and their writing abilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, beyond this, there's an additional goal for whole words read by the end of kindergarten. And I think these benchmarks have made a big difference in making sure that our pacing on kindergarten instruction is exactly what it ought to be.

Michelle Lovell:
Exactly. And this isn't the end goal. This is just step one. This is the beginning. Because the goal is that we want to have all of our kids being able to blend words automatically by the end of kindergarten. We want them to really be reading sentences. We want them to be writing fluently and knowing their letter names and sounds early in the school year gives them time and opportunity to practice throughout the school year and to gain that automaticity that they need in actually putting it all together and reading words and writing words. We're hopeful that by the end of the year, if we have all of our kindergartners reading closed syllable words, those consonant, vowel consonant words to automaticity, by the time they hit first grade, they'll be ready to take off running in first grade. So this is a trajectory getting us to that spot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us the number of words that a kindergartner should be able to read, ideally, by the end of the year.

Michelle Lovell:Michelle Lovell:
Well, as we've been looking through data and we've been analyzing this, not just our district but other districts, what we're finding is if a student can read at least 10 whole words read, that they're more solid in those blending skills, which are the precursors to being able to read fluently. If they have at least 20 whole words read, we find that they don't lose any of those skills over the summer. So somewhere between 12 and 20 words is where we're aiming for. If we could get to 20 whole words read for every student, that would be amazing. It would set them up for success in first and second grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Then when first grade teachers start with those students, they're able to hit the ground running. Instead of doing so much review, they're able to take off and really start at a place where they normally wouldn't be for a few weeks into the year.

Michelle Lovell:
Exactly. They don't need to go back and review kindergarten skills. They'll have kids that are ready to just jump in to those first grade skills. They'll be able to teach long vowels, vowel teams. They'll be able to jump into more complex sentence structures and hopefully just have the kids in books. That's the most important thing. Any time we learn a new skill, whether it's dance, learning to play an instrument, learning to read, practice is key. So we want the kids reading. We want the kids in books. We want them to practice these skills that they're learning.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, practice didn't help me with dance, but I do take your point. Whatever it is you're learning--

Michelle Lovell:
It didn't help me either.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it does make a big difference when kids are able to learn these skills and then practice them. And this celebration is really exciting because even kindergartners have a very clear understanding of what their goal is and the celebration when they've met it. And really, it gives them a sense of their own learning and their own progress, even as a five or six-year-old.

Michelle Lovell:
Absolutely. I think what's been really fun is when I've talked with schools, the whole school is involved. It's the fifth graders, the sixth graders, the fourth graders who are all aware of this goal for kindergarten. And they're all helping the kindergartners. I've talked to schools and they say, during morning announcements, that they've got the sixth graders who are at the end of morning announcements holding up letter cards saying, all right, kindergartners, here we go. We're going to practice. We've got kindergartners who are walking around the fifth grade classrooms with all the fifth graders holding sticky notes on their hands with a letter. And the kindergartners are giving them a high five and saying the letter name and sound. They're all just working together. So I love the sense of community that has come from this goal and just getting everyone involved in the success of these youngest learners.

Anthony Godfrey:
What can parents do to help support these goals?

Michelle Lovell:
Again, I think practice is key. And so if your students are learning letter names and sounds, practice with them at home. It doesn't have to be hours. It can just be a few minutes here and there and practicing in different ways. It could be a chart that you go over that's on the wall. It could be flashcards that you're working with. It could be games that you're playing that have letter names and sounds. Reading to your child is really an important piece. If it's 10 minutes a day, if you can spare that, I think that's fantastic.

Anthony Godfrey:
We all live on Planet Kindergarten.

Michelle Lovell:
We do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. All right. Well, thank you for everything you're doing. I appreciate the research you've done to just know where those benchmarks are that are going to give our students rocket fuel for everything that they need to learn going forward.

Michelle Lovell:
Thanks. I love it. I'm excited for what's coming these next few months to these next few years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. We'll hear from the students at Riverton Elementary School.

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.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at Riverton Elementary talking with two of the kindergarten teachers who have taken that journey to Planet Kindergarten. Introduce yourselves and tell us about that journey.

Janae Barron:
My name is Janae Barron. I am so fortunate to work here at Riverton Elementary with Julie George and Tiffany Rappleye. This is my third year here in kindergarten. I came from fifth grade.

Tiffany Rappleye:
So I am Tiffany Rappleye and it's my first year here at Riverton Elementary. I was at Bastian last year and doing other things before that and I'm so excited to be here and get our kiddos to Planet Kindergarten. We've worked really hard and included parents in engagement and worked in small groups. Every chance we get, we're just throwing those letters at them to make sure that they are getting them down.

Anthony Godfrey:
This has been the theme as you've talked with students along the way. We're working to get you to Planet Kindergarten and the way you arrive is by knowing your letters and sounds by the beginning of November. So what are some of the activities that you have done in order to make that possible?

Tiffany Rappleye:
Well, our walk to read has been awesome. We are doing the Planet Kindergarten steps, where we put them in different groups based off of the letters that they know and work on. So we're spending small group time focusing on a certain set of letters and then once they pass those letters off, they can move up to the next ones. We're also including the parents, sending flashcards home, letting them know exactly what letters and sounds their kiddos are working on.

Janae Barron:
Dr. Godfrey, you have the most amazing literacy staff. They made this happen. Lori McCarty and her group--Lori McCarty is the kindergarten specialist for those of you who might not know throughout the District. She cut out thousands of paper bags with her team to make Planet Kindergarten happen all over the District, not just here at Riverton, but all over the District. She did a literacy launch during the summer and then at the very beginning of the year-- I was so fortunate to go at the beginning of the year and jump in. But I know that Tiffany and Julie George, they went during their summer. These dedicated teachers took time off their summer to go and receive more training about how to get our kids to Planet Kindergarten. There were games. There were activities that was data driven and that information allowed and directed our instruction. So we were very effective in being able to do this. As a school, I think we decided we were 92% successful on getting all our kids on Planet Kindergarten.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing and it's a great launch to all the other things that they need to learn throughout their lives, really. The time in kindergarten is so important. I really appreciate all the efforts you're making and the reference you made to paper bags, that's cutting out paper bags so they can be helmets that the students decorate for their trip to Planet Kindergarten once they've learned their letters and sounds.

Tiffany Rappleye:
And they looked so cute.

Anthony Godfrey:
They looked fantastic.

Janae Barron:
And our reading buddies, who were paired with upper grade reading buddies, they were the ones who have been working with us throughout the year. Every Friday, they come in and they help us as well. So having a peer mentoring that takes place, they helped us decorate our helmets, our paper bags that we were looking so sharp when we landed on Planet Kindergarten.

Tiffany Rappleye:
We've also had buddies come other times, not just during that time, to work with our kids that were struggling to get to Planet Kindergarten and just work with them playing different games. Like we played “Memory” and we played different things with their peers and small groups to help them get to Planet Kindergarten, too. So it was a whole school effort.

Janae Barron:
Very much so.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know they have a whole solar system of learning that awaits beyond Planet Kindergarten. So thank you for getting them there and doing such an incredible job and doing it with such a joy and excitement. I love the blend of just the research, the fun, and just the intentionality around making sure they reach that goal. So thank you for your hard work.

Tiffany Rappleye:
Of course. Thanks for coming and visiting.

Janae Barron:
Yes, thank you.

Tiffany Rappleye:
It was fun to have you at our party.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I'll come to Planet Kindergarten any day.

Tiffany Rappleye:
Awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, tell me your name.

Charlotte:
Charlotte.

Anthony Godfrey:
Charlotte, what is your favorite letter?

Charlotte:
C.

Anthony Godfrey:
C. And why is C your favorite letter?

Charlotte:
Because C starts with my name.

Anthony Godfrey:
What other letters do you like besides C?

Charlotte:
D.

Anthony Godfrey:
D? What do you like about the letter D?

Charlotte:
Because it's fun to write.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's fun to write the letter D.

Charlotte:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Upper case or lower case?

Charlotte:
Both.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, both? Oh, so D is really fun to write no matter which one you're writing. OK, well, thank you, Charlotte. Good job. Congratulations on learning all your letters and sounds. Tell me your name.

Addie:
Addie.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, Addie. What is your favorite letter?

Addie:
W.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why is W your favorite letter? Do you like the shape of it?

Addie:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey::
What other letters do you like?

Addie:
K.

Anthony Godfrey:
K. What do you like about the letter K?

Addie:
Because it's pointy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Because it's pointy. Can you tell me all the letters in your name?

Addie:
A, D, D, I, E.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, very nice. And what's your name?

Gracie:
Gracie.

Anthony Godfrey:
Gracie. What's your favorite letter, Gracie?

Gracie:
My favorite letter is G.

Anthony Godfrey:
G? And why is G your favorite letter?

Gracie:
Because it starts with my name.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. That's a good reason to like the letter G. And what other letters do you like?

Gracie:
I like A.

Anthony Godfrey:
You like A? You also have an A in your name. Why do you like the letter A?

Gracie:
Because it's the first letter in the alphabet.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's number one, just like you. Right?

Gracie:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
I brought Grayson. Hey, Grayson, how are you?

Grayson:
Good.

Anthony Godfrey:
What letter do you like the most?

Grayson:
G and Z.

Anthony Godfrey:
G and Z?

Grayson:
A and Z.

Anthony Godfrey:
A and Z. Why A and Z? Why do you like those two letters?

Grayson:
Because I like how there's a game called Legend ZA.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, OK. Legend ZA. So those letters remind you of that game, huh? That's awesome. What are your favorite activities? What are the favorite things you've done in class to learn your letters, Gracie?

Gracie:
I have a lot of things, but the most favorite one is singing the alphabet on the alphabet chart.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, really? An alphabet chart. Alphabet chime? Oh, singing the alphabet on the alphabet chart? Can you do that for me?

Gracie:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, I, F, G, O, V, W, X, Y, and Z. Now I know my ABC. Next time won't you sing with me?

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That was perfect. That sounded so good. You're a good singer and a good reader. That's wonderful. Thank you so much. We're out on the playground now talking with Julie George, also a member of the kindergarten team, but there's no rest. We celebrated Planet Kindergarten and now you're out watching students out on the playground.

Julie George:
That is correct. There's no rest in kindergarten, but it's super fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about this journey throughout the year to get to Planet Kindergarten.

Julie George:
Each year as we approach the new year in the fall, we want the kids to learn their letters and sounds by November 1st because it's really important that we can build on that and they can get fluency and they can start blending and reading. We have such an amazing leader, Lori McCarty, that gets us inspired and pumped up to do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's really exciting to see the results today and the kids are obviously excited and proud of their progress. I think that in kindergarten it seems like you get the benefit of seeing this progress more than in any other grade level. As a middle school teacher, I saw progress, but not like you get to see in kindergarten. Talk to me about the beginning of the year as opposed to the end of the year and the progress you see.

Julie George:
Absolutely. That is the amazing perk or benefit, the reward of teaching kindergarten. It is super busy, but it is also super rewarding. You do see them coming in not knowing very many letters and at the end of the year they're walking out the door knowing all their letters and sounds and reading. That's been my goal the last three years in all day kindergarten. 100% of my kids will know their letters and sounds because on my watch, I want them to do a good job.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I love that goal and it's so important for everything that comes after, not just the rest of their schooling but for the rest of their lives. Getting this strong start, getting that confidence early on just means a ton. And it gives them that sense of connection with school when they know they can do things they couldn't do before.

Julie George:
Absolutely. We want them off to a great start because life is hard if you don't know how to read and write.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's absolutely right. Well, thank you so much for all your hard work and congratulations on your success.

Julie George:
Thank you so much for coming today. We really enjoyed it.

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.

Krista Mecham:
Chanar and I, we started talking and Chanar expressed her interest in having a collaboration between us as educators and Mongolian schools.

Chanar Conley:
And I had the opportunity to give back, especially in this important times of our lives.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to The Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They traveled thousands of miles away on a mission to foster education and share knowledge with fellow educators in Mongolia. On this episode of The Supercast, find out what inspired three amazing Jordan School District employees to spend much of their summer providing training to English teachers in Mongolia. We'll hear about the incredible lessons they learned and the life-changing impact they discovered, learning about another beautiful and very different culture.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with three educators from Jordan School District who spent their summer in Mongolia and we want to find out more about that. So introduce yourselves and tell us about your role in Jordan before we get into learning more about your trip this summer.

Chanar Conley:
My name is Chanar Conley, and I'm a school counselor at Terra Linda Elementary School. This is my fourth year being an elementary school counselor and I am from Mongolia originally. I came to this country in 1996 when I was 20 years old. Learning English has been kind of hard, but still learning. So that's my background and I have been here almost 30 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how do you like being an elementary school counselor?

Chanar Conley:
Oh, I love it. I love all my Terra Linda Elementary kids. I love my staff and I love, love my administration. Love Yajaira Martinez. She is the best.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's been a role that's new in just the last few years in Jordan to be a counselor at the elementary level and now feels essential. Everywhere I go, people say we couldn't do it without our counselor.

Chanar Conley:
Oh, I love to hear that because it is so amazing. I think it's my passion. I think I found it. I'm just going to do my best to just help my little kids to feel needed and included and wanted. That's one of the things that I love about Jordan School District. Because when I talk to other people about other districts, they don't have elementary school counselors. We are so fortunate to have all of our elementary school counselors filled with school counselors that's essential.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's really important. It makes a huge impact.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Krista Mecham:
My name is Krista Mecham and I've been in Jordan since the 1900s. Now I'm working in Language and Culture Services as a teacher specialist at the elementary level.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to us about what that means for those who don't know what an elementary teacher specialist does.

Krista Mecham:
So we have close to 6,000 multilingual learners. They come from many different countries. They speak about 58 different languages. We want to support those students and they come with so many assets. So we want to support those assets, add to that, and teach them English and the content so that they can be as successful as their English speaking peers.

Anthony Godfrey:
You were recently announced as a WIDA fellow. Talk to us about that. I know it hasn't even started yet. But talk to us about what WIDA is and what it means to be a Jolly Good Fellow.

Krista Mecham:
WIDA is World Class Instructional Design and Assessments and it is the assessment that we use to test English proficiency. It's a philosophy. It's a background. It's strategies that we use to teach English as a second language.

Anthony Godfrey:And we've had more and more graduates that have been able to level up their English language skills and it's been really great to see that trend.

Krista Mecham:
Last year, we actually had over 500 students test proficient on WIDA. That's a lot of work to learn the curriculum in a second language and learn English at the same time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it's about academic language, not just conversational language.

Krista Mecham:
Exactly.

Leah Davis:
My name is Dr. Leah Davis and I'm a culture and diversity specialist in Language and Culture Services. So Krista and I sometimes collaborate and work together. My role is to support all of our diverse students across our schools and support teachers and administrators and culturally responsive teaching practices. So I'm out and about like our fellow educators here and supporting all of our students across Jordan.

Anthony Godfrey:
When we do have students that maybe need some education about how the way they've acted or things that they've done may be hurtful in ways they didn't understand, you've been really instrumental in helping educate, which is really what we're all about.

Leah Davis:
Thank you. Yes. We're really trying to also empower educators to support their students and understand their own cultures as well so that we are all reflective and all students feel supported in our schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
And all three of you really are focused on helping our students be at their very best. That's really the bottom line. So you did this in Mongolia this summer as well. So talk to us about how that came to be.

Krista Mecham:
So I teach the ESL endorsement and we did a cohort for just counselors, which was great, because we want our counselors to have the strategies on how to teach English as a second language. So Chanar signed up to be in that cohort and Leah was invited in to do a presentation. Leah had actually done Model UN at BYU. Is that right?

Leah Davis:
Um-hum.

Krista Mecham:
And she loved Mongolia. So she came in. She was meeting--

Anthony Godfrey:
Did you represent Mongolia in the Model UN?

Leah Davis:
I did. I did at the National International Conference in New York City.

Anthony Godfrey:
How did Mongolia fare under your leadership?

Leah Davis:
Oh, we won lots of awards.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Leah Davis:
So we did just fine. Just fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm very glad to hear that.

Krista Mecham:
So with her love of Mongolia, she met Chanar and was so excited to meet someone from Mongolia and then they connected.

Leah Davis:
Yeah, and the rest is history. So yeah, that was a great opportunity. Chanar and I, we started talking and Chanar expressed her interest in having a sister school or starting a collaboration between us as educators and Mongolian schools. So she really took the lead in the first steps of this plan and we got it rolling.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's very exciting. So talk to me about what the trip looked like. What was the purpose? And where did you go?

Chanar Conley:
So first of all, I really am grateful and appreciative about how I got the opportunity to get the education in America. I always, back of my head, I want to give back to my own country. And the things that I've learned in this country, especially in education-- and I think education is power and it's key. Because our country has been developing our country and has been for a long time, I wanted to make sure that what I've learned in this country can maybe go to Mongolia and help what we need help with, especially in social-emotional learning and English as a second language. But as a country, Mongolia now is becoming more-- walking with the world. So the English is the language that they decided to maybe learn. And there's a huge need of ESL learners that need the help and also the social-emotional part of it. And as a counselor, I really wanted to give back what I've learned here. It's amazing the enthusiasm that was there when we went and visited Mongolia. I just was happy to collaborate with these wonderful ladies, and especially with the Jordan School District. Because I love this district for sure. And with my passion, it's my first time ever being in education and I'm learning so much. And especially, I am in the MTSS member team, member now and I'm also in the TSI. My principal also knows that I am from a different country, and I told her, “Hey, I really want to learn all about education.” She involves me in all of those meetings and I'm learning so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really exciting.

Krista Mecham:
Can I speak to Chanar's enthusiasm?

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure, yes. It's obvious.

Krista Mecham:
It is. So teaching her in the ESL endorsement with those counselors, she always had great input and great things to say. So it was so obvious that she was a great teacher. But it was so fun to see her speaking her language and presenting. And she's so enthusiastic about social-emotional learning. She taught about a calm corner. And those Mongolians, mind blown. They were so excited to just a simple calm corner and to hear it from somebody in their own language and to have evidence that it actually works. “I can tell you how it works. I can show you.” And they were so excited to hear from her.

Anthony Godfrey:
That doesn't surprise me. Because when you're in a class learning how to teach English, it's really wonderful to hear the perspective of someone who has learned English and is so eager to learn more about education. So tell me what your trip looked like. Where did you go? What did you do? How long were you there?

Leah Davis:
Yes, so we were in Mongolia for about 10 days. We went in July so our trip included multiple components. So we spent two days with the school in Mongolia and provided professional development. That was an amazing opportunity for us because we spent about six months or so before our trip meeting with the school virtually to understand their needs and plan for this professional development. So we planned our professional development to focus on English language instruction and parts of SEL. But we also went in understanding that we had not been exposed to Mongolian schools recently or ever. So we went in with humility and wanted to learn, too, from the teachers. We wanted this to be a reciprocal relationship. So through our training our first day, we did what we planned, but we also received a lot of feedback from the teachers as to what they wanted to learn from us. So we were able to really chart the course through the next day of the training to adapt to what they wanted to learn from us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. So what were some of the things that you learned from your experience?

Chanar Conley:
For me, it was interesting because I'm teaching all the time in English. And I know how to chunk things. But I've never had to work with an interpreter. In fact, I've usually been the interpreter. And so that was interesting, especially now because in our department we've been doing trainers for interpreters, trainings for interpreters. And it was interesting to have an interpreter not be the interpreter. And I learned a lot from being on the other side of that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So did you have to pause at certain points just to give them a chance to catch up?

Chanar Conley:
I did. And I really tried to chunk it up. I think we did really well from our experience that we were able to chunk it and then wait for an interpreter. But that also is interesting because there's a little loss of the-- it's not as organic as if you're just delivering it in one language. That's why Chanar's presentation was so beautiful. Because it was Mongolian to Mongolian speakers. But it still went well with the interpreter.

Anthony Godfrey:
So can you speak some Mongolian for me here?

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. Let's hear Chanar.

Chanar Conley:
I'm going to say--

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, thank you very much. It was a gift.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm just pretending like you complimented my tie. Tell us what you just said.

Chanar Conley:
I just said that I love this opportunity to speak with the Jordan School District podcast here. And I am so grateful to help my fellow Mongolians back home what I've learned. It's the concept of not just me learning and being affected, but I want to also give back and want to teach them how to fish, not give them the fish. That's really my-- that's just really what's driving me to go back and give back. It's not just me only learning. I want to just share what I've learned in this country.

Anthony Godfrey:
Set them on that path.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful. Stay with us when we come back more with the educators from Jordan School District who visited Mongolia.

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:
In Jordan School District, communicating and connecting with parents is really important and that's why we're very excited about ParentSquare. ParentSquare has replaced Skylert as the District's new communication platform. With ParentSquare, you'll receive all District and school communication via email, text, and/or the app based on your preference. All messages can be translated to your preferred home language indicated in Skyward and it takes less than a minute to set up your notification preferences. You can use the ParentSquare app on any device. The app is available at parentsquare.com/sign-in. We look forward to connecting with you through ParentSquare.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what else did you do beyond the two days?

Chanar Conley:
So after we provided the PD, we also had many opportunities to network and meet with local education leaders on the district level and the national level. So we had several meetings with really the equivalent to you in the Mongolian school system. The Mongolian school system and the way districts are built are a little different because education is a branch of their government. So some of the leaders we met with were over education but also other areas of government, which was really interesting to learn about and navigate. Krista shares a really funny story.

Anthony Godfrey:
What pairs well with education? What other responsibilities did they have?

Leah Davis:
I'm trying to think. But we had a moment where we were meeting with, in the capital city, a district within that city. And you should tell the story, Krista.

Krista Mecham:
This is a good one. I thought we were meeting with the Anthony Godfrey of Mongolia and I was really excited. He seemed passionate about education and, of course, there were interpreters. So I thought maybe I wasn't understanding everything because he said, “My goal is education.” And I was very confused because I thought-- Well, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Krista Mecham:
I think, “Godfrey is all about education.” But then I learned that it's a government position and so that's just a branch of it. So then it made more sense. Because I can't imagine you saying, “My goal is education,” because that's your life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Seems fairly obvious. So they have multiple responsibilities. Is it a nationwide education system? Or do districts have some responsibility as well?

Chanar Conley:
I think I've been out of my country for almost 30 years, but I think the education system now is really interesting. And it's just all about-- I think the money is given and allocated with different cities. And inside the cities, there's districts, but not the school districts. I think they're trying to learn how to manage education, to be able to provide education to all of the kids. It was just kind of confusing. But I think they're trying to be more a system of U.S.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe confusing because it's changing.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And they're trying to move toward a different system.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see. OK. So you visited schools. You talked with officials at the national level. And how did you round out the trip?

Leah Davis:
So the end of the trip was maybe the most exciting part because we created an agreement with a school district in the capital city to continue and to provide professional development and to build a relationship with them. So in 2026, Chanar and I are hoping to return at least two times. One time in a few months, hopefully, to conduct observations in the school, and then again in the spring or summer to provide more professional development. And we're also in talks, too, to expand to some other cities and other districts. So we're hoping to really expand this reciprocal relationship. And we've had discussions about potentially bringing teachers over to Mongolia from our schools to visit, and also bringing Mongolian educators to see our district and our state.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really exciting and I love the passion in Mongolia to make sure that their education system is as good as it can possibly be.

Leah Davis:
Yes.

Krista Mecham:
I think that they were so excited because they had just made a new law that English would be taught as early as third grade. And before that, it was fifth grade. So us coming in was such an exciting time because there's a lot of new things happening.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's great. So how long is the flight to Mongolia? What does it take to get there?

Leah Davis:
We don't want to talk about it. It's long. It's what— Probably like 36 hours of travel because there's several layovers.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you can really binge a show in 36 hours.

Leah Davis:
Lots of shows. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me more about just the country of Mongolia. You brought some props. Should we look at some of the souvenirs

Leah Davis:
Yes.

Krista Mecham:
Can I say that it's just-- I feel like it's similar to Utah with that desert mountain climate. And it just felt-- it wasn't drier. It wasn't more humid. It was-- it just felt like being at home.

Anthony Godfrey:
It felt fairly similar.

Krista Mecham:
It did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well-- So let me ask you--go ahead.

Leah Davis:
Well, and that's interesting too because as we spent time in Mongolia, we learned about a lot of similarities that Utah shares with Mongolia because Mongolia has a lot of mining like we do in our area. So not only the climate and the geography, but we have similar-- we share similar industries across places. So that was a really interesting way to connect with them and to learn about what is happening from an economic stance in their country.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, I don't know a lot about Mongolia. I will tell you that. I think there's an inner and an outer.

All:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:|
Then that's pretty rare. You wouldn't talk about inner and outer America. So talk to me about inner and outer Mongolia. What does that mean?

Chanar Conley:
So inner Mongolians are part of China, but they still speak Mongolian. And outer Mongolia is an actual Mongolia. It's inner and outer. So Mongolia has been under the Soviet Union-- like I mean under communism for years until 1990s. I actually was a communist child growing up. But the school system was different, more Russian. I learned Russian when I was the fourth grade. Starting fourth grade, everybody learned Russian. But now, things are changing. And now, again, third grade, they need to learn English as a second language, not Russian.

Anthony Godfrey:
Again, just progress and things really moving forward.

Chanar Conley:
Ever so changing, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it is exciting that the three of you were a part of that and will continue to be.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful. So talk to me about the things that you brought here today.

Leah Davis:
I'll show you this because the other things are kind of more exciting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes.

Leah Davis:
Well, when we went and visited with the Anthony Godfrey's of Mongolia--

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a phrase I'd never heard before today, though, the Anthony Godfrey of Mongolia.

Leah Davis:
We'll keep it alive.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you have a nice white box here that you're opening up.

Leah Davis:
Well, so when we went to visit with officials, they would snap their fingers, and they had professional photographers coming in. And so we have that, at Jordan, our photographers--

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right.

Leah Davis:
--of Mongolia. But they would come in, and they would bring us in nice China. They would bring us tea and serve us--

Anthony Godfrey:
Huh. Wow.

Leah Davis:
Nice tea, which I can't imagine that we'd have nice China in our district. But this was a gift from one of the--

Anthony Godfrey:
We only take it out at Thanksgiving.

Leah Davis:
This was given to us by one of the school districts, and this is actually the law. This is the education law of Mongolia.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, really?

Leah Davis:
Chanar says nobody reads it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, how about that?

Chanar Conley:
And I also brought the yurt. This is the Mongolian--

Anthony Godfrey:
And that the Fall Family Fair there was a yurt.

Leah Davis:
Yes. Can we tell you a story about the yurt that she brought? She's paid $600 to bring a child-sized yurt back from Mongolia, and she was kind enough to bring it to the Fall Family Fair, which kids loved it. But what was so interesting is there was a new family in our district. They were from Mongolia, and when they came to the Fall Family Fair, they felt like they were welcomed because there was a piece of home, and they felt that they had come to a safe district.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's exciting. That's wonderful to hear. So a yurt is kind of a round tent almost with some structure underneath it, and this is a model of a yurt?

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Chanar Conley:
And the elementary kids--

Anthony Godfrey:
It's like a Barbie yurt.

Chanar Conley:
Yes, they love it. They play with it. They open it up.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's little--Oh, yeah. Look at that. --chairs in it. Furniture inside that you can assemble.

Chanar Conley:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Beautifully decorated.

Chanar Conley:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very cool.

Chanar Conley:
This is a chance for me to share some of my culture with my cute little elementary kids, and you have to see the first and second grade kids' eyes wide open.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Chanar Conley:
And they also-- in Wit and Wisdom, they're reading about My Librarian Is a Camel. So it's about Mongolian story.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Chanar Conley:
Yes, that's the first grade one. And they talk about Mongolia and how they don't have a librarian, but they have a camel that brings all the books to the kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow. That's really cool.

Chanar Conley:
That's from the Wit and Wisdom.

Anthony Godfrey:
Huh. So tell me, as we wrap this up, tell me your biggest takeaway from your trip.

Leah Davis:
I think the biggest takeaway, the greatest lesson that I learned, is that all educators share the same passion. And that's a truly unifying force, because although our lives and our experiences are so different than the Mongolian educators and educational leaders we interacted with, our passion is the same across our countries. And that was really motivating to me and really helped reignite my passion as well.

Krista Mecham:
I would say the same. Ditto to that. Maya Angelou says, we are more alike than unalike and you see that teachers have that passion. People love their families. We got to meet Chanar's family. And family love is still the same. You support your family. You love them. And you're kind to others. People are so kind and gracious and accepting of us. And I think that that's what we want for our culture, too. We just want to coexist in this world together and help each other be the best that we can be.

Chanar Conley:
And for me, going back to my own country and where I came from, and I had the opportunity to give back, and especially in this important times of our lives in this world, is the education. I think the biggest thing is education. Education is the power. Education is the way. So I think that's my biggest takeaway, and being able to go back home and share that knowledge that I've received and make sure that our country is also be successful with the rest of the world.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm inspired by your trajectory, and I'm grateful for everything that brought you here so that you can be such an important part of Terra Linda. I'm grateful to all of you for taking time here and for everything you do for our students. You all stand out as people who are really focused on helping our students feel a sense of belonging and really be at their best. There's no sense of belonging like accomplishing things when you come to school and helping kids learn everything they can is something that I know you've been so dedicated to year after year. So I'm very proud of the work you're doing, and thank you for all you do to lift our students and all of us.

Krista Mecham:
Thank you.

Leah Davis:
Thank you.

Chanar Conley:
Thank you for having us.

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.

Sean Garrett:
This program is working and this is exactly what we designed it to be. Full-time firefighter EMTs for Unified Fire Authority that come from this program. All home grown.

Dalton Hendricks:
If you want to do this job, it's a really good opportunity to come here and further yourself and put yourself ahead of other people that also want that same job. Place just has so many of the aspects of the real job that we got to practice for two years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They were high school students already getting up close and personal hands-on experience at the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers in their quest to become firefighters. On this episode of the Supercast, meet some recent Jordan School District graduates who spent this past summer on the front line, fighting wildland fires in Utah. Hear how they got a jump start on their careers in high school, enrolled in the JATC Fire Science Program. Find out what advice they have for current students eager to don their turnout gear and start their own careers as firefighters after graduation.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at the Jordan Academy for Careers and Technology at the South Campus, talking with the Fire Science and EMT Program Coordinator. Go ahead and introduce yourself.

Sean Garrett:
Yeah, my name is Sean Garrett, and I am the Coordinator for the Fire Science and EMT Program at JATC out here at the South Campus. I'm a full-time firefighter with the Unified Fire Authority and with just under 19 years full-time experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
You were here previously and now you're back. Tell us about that. You were part of the original program.

Sean Garrett:
That's correct. So I actually graduated high school in 2002 at Riverton High myself and took this class there. It was just called South Jordan Fire Science. It was taught at the South Jordan Fire Department Station 61 at that time. Then with all the changes to districts and everything else, the Jordan School District didn't have a program for a number of years. It was 2012-13, and the principal at the time, Jason Skidmore, reached out to us because we had an internship program that we were running in the Valley for all the work-based learning and CTE students, and he wanted to start a Fire Science Program. So that's all she wrote. So myself and a few others built the program, put the curriculum together, and we started teaching at the North Campus and that first class was 2013.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're going to talk to some former students now who are firefighters. Talk to me about that.

Sean Garrett:
So I'm staring at them right now and, you know, these three buttheads, they were high school students here. I believe it was two years ago. Those kids were successful in this program. They graduated high school, moved on to our Camp Williams seasonal wildland program, worked on getting, finishing, testing, getting their EMT certification. Then once they had their two years seasonal, they ended up hiring on full time with UFA. Right before I came out here as a coordinator, I was a fire training specialist so I also got to be one of their lead instructors for their 16-week recruit school that they had when they hired on full time. So we brought them back here. They're, you know, obviously not just the story piece for sure, the recruiting piece, but just this program is working and this is exactly what we designed it to be. It was to give us these three over here that's standing over to your right. Like that's what we're supposed to have. Full time firefighter EMTs for Unified Fire Authority to come from this program, all homegrown.

Anthony Godfrey:
What a huge benefit to them and their families and to the community at large.

Sean Garrett:
And to be 20 years old and to start this career is, you know, it's not for the faint of hearts. It's hard on your body. It's hard on your mind. So, to start early on like that and to have a healthy 25-year career and get out of it with a pension and enjoy your life, like there's so many, so many takeaways from starting early and getting after it while you can, especially programs like this just taking advantage of the opportunities that are given.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it all comes down to the instructors. So thank you for making this opportunity possible.

Sean Garrett:
They're the ones that do the work, but 100%.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with three former students who are now firefighter EMTs. It's very exciting to have you here today. Just introduce yourselves and tell us about your current situation, where you are.

Dalton Timothy:
My name is Dalton Timothy. I graduated in 2023 from Mountain Ridge High School and attended JTech here for two years. I currently work with Unified Fire Authority and I'm all over the valley working on all the stations.

Carson Russell:
I'm Carson Russell, a firefighter EMT with Unified Fire Authority. I've been doing that for about a year. Currently right now I am all over the valley. I don't quite have a station to call my home yet. I graduated from Mountain Ridge High School in 2023 and did JTech for two years.

Dalton Hendricks:
My name is Dalton Hendricks. I am a firefighter EMT with Unified Fire Authority as well. I'm currently just roaming around all of the stations. I graduated in 2022 at Riverton High School and I attended JATC for my junior and senior year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me what it means when you are part of Unified Fire but you are not assigned to a specific station. How does all of that work?

Dalton Hendricks:
So how it works is you bid for stations and right now we don't currently have a bid. So that just means they fill you in at wherever they need a firefighter EMT, which is our rank right now. So, wherever somebody needs help then they will just fill us in. That's how that really goes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you've worked on some wildfires. Talk to me about what you've been doing out there.

Dalton Hendricks:
So currently this year I was just on the Forsyth Fire down in Pine Valley. We were down there for 14 days. The work that we put in down there was pretty labor-intensive. We did a little bit of everything in the wildland world. We dug some hand line in the dirt. We put some water on some fire. And on top of that we also did some structure protection. So just wrapping structures, spraying them with water, making sure the fire didn't impact them at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you wrap them in? Aluminum foil normally.

Dalton Hendricks:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll do aluminum foil. We'll set up sprinklers on the roofs and stuff. So yeah, just stuff like that just to protect them.

Carson Russell:
You do a lot of mitigating around properties too as well in wildland. And we do that a lot here throughout the valleys. Just cutting down trees around, brushing, and getting rid of those things that could cause the house to spark up. Just to protect it a little more for those harsh conditions.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you talked about the digging that you do. What does that look like?

Carson Russell:
It's depending on the fuel type. So it could be from 8 to 6 inches and you're just getting down to mineral soil. So you're just getting all the duff and the grass kind of out of that way so that the fire has a place that it will kind of stop if there's nothing else to burn basically.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what it has been like to be assigned to your first fire after completing all of your training here and being hired as a firefighter.

Carson Russell:
It's pretty cool. Your body kind of goes into this, “I know what to do, and I know my role.” And then your kind of mind shuts off a little bit and you just go back to your training and kind of do what you remember. And then the wow factor just comes after. I just went into a house that was on fire and did exactly what I was supposed to and everything I needed to do, and got the fire out.

Anthony Godfrey:
You say that pretty casually. “I went into a house that was on fire.” That is the sentence I've never said. So you really do get into a mode where your body is just saying, "Alright, here we go. This is what we do."

Carson Russell:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're not really evaluating. You're just doing what you know to do.

Carson Russell:
And there's always the little voice in your head that says, "Oh, make sure you're checking for this. Make sure you're doing this." And so you're still kind of with it, but your body just feels like it just knows what to do.

Dalton Hendricks:
Yeah, the first fire, once you kind of get out, there's a part of you that you have that moment where you're like, "Oh, this is happening." And then once you get there, it just becomes a task and you're just going at it step by step on what we're doing now to then what the next project is to what we're doing here. And eventually the fire's on. You're like, "That just happened." That's kind of crazy.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then you process all that for a long time after that.

Dalton Hendricks:
And you tell stories.

Carson Russell:
It's definitely for the first time because we go throughout training and we have props out at the fire training in Magna where we practice fires all day long. And you get used to—

Anthony Godfrey:
Out of the tower.

Carson Russell:
Out of the tower. You get used to those props. You're still doing the training and everything, but you go into these houses you've never been into before and it's completely blacked out inside. And you can't really see. You just have to rely on your instincts and your training that you went through to locate the fire and put it out. Yeah, it's definitely a whole other world.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you look back at your first fire and you think about your time here at JATC, did it give you the foundation you needed to be successful?

Carson Russell:
Yeah, it definitely was a start on the basics and when you get in those high stress moments when you're in that house fire where you can't see, you just got to go back to your basics. And it just becomes just like a habit. You don't really think about putting your jacket on in the morning. So when you do all these repetitions here at J-TEC and you keep doing that throughout your career, it really just becomes second nature.

Dalton Hendricks:
You're doing a lot of the stuff that you're doing out at the training tower, which we did for three months. You're putting on gear. You're getting on air. You're doing search drills. So you're following the hose. When you can't see inside of a house, you have one thing you can follow, and that's the hose. So if you don't know your way out, you can follow the hose.

Anthony Godfrey:
Follow the hose. Okay.

Dalton Hendricks:
We did a lot of that stuff here. We did search drills. We had a fire engine that we could practice on and do training. We pulled the hose off the engine, flowed the water out of it, just like the real thing. And we have a forceful entry door here. We have to force our way into houses. This place just has so many of the aspects of the real job that we got to practice for two years. When we went into fire training, we already knew how to put on our gear. We already knew how to do it in time. We knew a bunch of aspects. If you want to do this job, it's a really good opportunity to come here and further yourself and put yourself ahead of other people that also want that same job.

Anthony Godfrey:
A really strong head start. Fantastic. I'm so grateful for what all of you are doing. And I'm really glad that you came through this program and that you're out there keeping our community safe. So I am excited to continue to watch your careers grow. And thank you very much for taking time today. Thank you.

Dalton Hendricks:
Thank you.

Carson Russell:
Thank you for having us.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with one of the current students in our Fire Science Program. Tell me your name, introduce yourself, and tell me what interested you in being part of this program.

Jaden:
I'm Jaden. I've been interested in this for like a while. I've been wanting to be a firefighter since I was a kid. And my dad, he works in the military, and they have to like do fire operations there. And I just thought it was super cool. And I just thought I should be a part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you were interested in this from an early age. And has your dad, as part of his military service, been a part of fire operations?

Jaden:
Yeah. He like really like lately, he's been sending me videos of him putting out fires on a truck. I just think it's super cool. Because he mainly did like the military stuff back then. He like showed me. And now he's like being more a part of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel to him that you're in this Fire Science Program?

Jaden:
He thinks that I'm working a lot harder than he did back in high school. He thinks it's way better.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I like the sound of that. That you're working hard. There's a lot of discipline involved in this program. Talk to me about what that feels like.

Jaden:
So like in the mornings, we have to go in and they have to check our whole uniforms. We have to stand perfectly. There can't be any hairs, and they can dock us points for that. And like you can't be slacking like when we're pulling hose or doing anything. Because that can also dock you points and they will deal with you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of the lessons that you're already taking from this, about yourself, and just about life in general.

Jaden:
It's having me look like more forward. And not like kind of just like go by. You know and try to like make up my future instead of just let it happen.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're a little more intentional about things and more thoughtful about what you want to do next. And what is that?

Jaden:
I think wildland. I plan on applying for this summer. It seems really fun. I hope I can deal with these guys. Whatever works.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's some specialized training for wildfires.

Jaden:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that takes place in the summer following this program. Do you think you want to be a firefighter perhaps?

Jaden:
Yeah. I think, I mean especially like I was saying with my dad. It goes from that and it just moves on up to Hazmat and all that. And I think I just want to keep going up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. Well congratulations and I'm eager to see what happens next for you.

Jaden:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with the firefighters trained at the Jordan Academy for Technology and Career.

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:
There are a lot of students who've continued with the career and even those who haven't, they learn skills that are going to help them through the rest of their lives.

Sean Garrett:
Yeah, for sure. Being an instructor here, for the number of years that I was and then now being the lead coordinator here, we're definitely, with the Unified Fire Authority, we're trying to home grow our future firefighters for sure. But the program itself, just the structure, the discipline, the teamwork, the social interaction with your classmates and everything else, we're teaching these kids skills that they can use in anything that they do. That's what we're really looking to do, just change a person's attitude towards something that they want. But definitely the goal is to yield people that come through our part-time programs and then eventually get hired full-time. And there are, I wish I knew, even that class we talked about, 2013, the OG back to back to Jordan School District Fire Science class. Sterling Smith was a student in that class and now he, not only is he a full-time firefighter and a promoted engineer, he finished this class, went to work at Camp Williams as a wildland firefighter. And now full circle, he's one of the instructors that I use out here to teach these kids. And the reason we have a complement of instructors is just when we do hands-on skills, we want to keep a ratio of instructors to students just because of the stuff that they do that's physical, just for the safety aspect of stuff. Same thing with the EMT, it's run through the State Bureau of EMS and you have to have a six to one ratio when you have skills. So we have a complement of, I think, 24 instructors throughout the three platoons from UFA. We typically have anywhere from one to three of them here with me every day, depending on what we're teaching that day. So, yeah, Sterling was from class one. Right behind us as we're talking, you can't see it, obviously, with those are part tags from students of the past.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah, I see that.

Sean Garrett:
That was something that was kept up every year. And then probably say about four years ago, I think it just kind of, something kind of fell off the table. Now, being back to this, I think that we'll kickstart those traditions.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great representation of just a part of the impact that you're able to have. As you've worked with students over the years, and I know you experienced this yourself, do you find that they discover abilities and a disposition within themselves that they didn't know was there?

Sean Garrett:
100%. And that's one of the coolest things about this, regardless of if these kids end up being firefighters or not. Being able to see the nerves on day one and just the unsure. And there's also that intimidation factor, too. Like you get, you know, it's a kid that thinks that this is something that they want to do so they're here or they were unsure and they found their name on a registration piece of paper. And they're talking about, you know, we're doing PT assessments and pushups and sit ups and we do physical activity with these guys every morning. But you're looking, you know, the person on your right or left and it's some big kid that plays for the football team for their high school and there's that intimidation factor. But the way we go about stuff is there's not one way to do any of these skills and we work with them and we really don't, we don't care how many, you know, pushups you can do day one. You know, if you can't do them, we just, we just care that at the end of the day we got better. So you watch these kids progress through the quarters and through the semesters and at the end of the year, just the brother and sisterhood that they have with their classmates and just the confidence that they build themselves.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's worth it for sure. That kid's it's pretty rad to see. How does it feel when you see students become firefighters and instructors and become, like you said, become a homegrown addition to the profession?

Sean Garrett:
There's a lot of emotions. I mean, for sure it's like this. It's this it's this proud feeling because that was a lot of us came from programs like this. And we knew how much it meant to us when we were 17, 18, 19 years old and what it did for us now having a career in the fire service and how it's provided for me and my family and how it's given me a whole other family. So to see these guys go through and get hired, it's a sense of pride for sure. Like it was what it was designed to do, you know, bringing this program back in 2013. You know, this is this is what it's supposed to do. Yeah, this is what we're supposed to happen. You know, this is it's homegrown. It feels good. A lot of hard work goes into it. You know that they worked hard to get it. And a lot of emotions, but proud would be the word that I would use for sure. And a senior, the year that this started back up, would now be 30 years old. I mean, it's pretty it's pretty crazy to think about how fast time goes by and how quickly that that positive impact spreads. It, you know, we were just we use this building, our department, just the other night for a promotional ceremony. And there were a few people that had some speeches and you blink and it goes by. And like even now, you know, I'm hanging out every day with with my group of instructors that some of which I've hired on with some of some of them came from this class. Like you were saying, Sterling. And, you know, he's not only was I as high school teacher, but now, you know, he's he's a co-worker of mine and he's married, has three kids. Like it's wild. And it does. It just goes by so fast. It feels like it takes eons when you're in the middle of it. But then when it's all done and you look back, it just seemed like it wasn't that long ago at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
The time just disappears. What sparked your interest in this initiative?

Sean Garrett:
So I'm actually fourth generation firefighter. So my great-grandfather was a captain for Salt Lake City Fire. His two boys were both firefighters and has met specialists for Salt Lake City Fire. My grandfather is my mom's dad worked for the department that I work for, which was then Salt Lake County, now Unified Fire. He retired in 1999. My uncle was he's retired now, but worked with me at Midvalle Fire and Unified Fire.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Sean Garrett:
And here I am. I still have a cousin that's a battalion chief for Salt Lake City. And his boy also works as a firefighter for Salt Lake City. And then my son is a senior in this Fire Science and the class.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that is a really exciting family tradition and I'm grateful that Jordan District is a small part of that. So thank you for everything you're doing to keep our community safe and to help bring out the best in our students.

Sean Garrett:
I appreciate the opportunity and I'm here to work. And I have a huge passion for what it is that I do, which is all about people and helping people and solving problems. And if people, as long as people are showing up, I'll show up and continue to show them how to do it.

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 out there.

Sean Garrett:
Thank you.

Thank you.

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