Supercast

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
I compare that to maybe one of the largest terrorist attacks that we've seen in our country and it was basically able to be carried out through our own fear.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's say a parent sees this on social media, a student sees this on social media. What is the appropriate action if they see either a very specific threat or a vague threat that feels like it could be targeted at their school?

[Music]

Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. On this episode of the Supercast, we talk with Lieutenant Jeremy Barnes of the Utah Department of Public Safety. He'll talk with us about threats that turn out to be a hoax, the impact they have on schools, and what we can do to properly report them and make sure that they don't create unnecessary panic. He'll also talk about why it's important to take every threat seriously.

[Music]

We're pleased to have Lieutenant Jeremy Barnes with us today to talk about school safety, introduce yourself, and tell us a little bit about your current position.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Okay, so thank you for the introduction. I'm Lieutenant Jeremy Barnes with the Utah Department of Public Safety with the newly created Division of State Security. In my current role, I oversee, I work directly for the State Security Chief who was created under House Bill 61 in 2023. I work directly for him and we oversee a regional team of eight individuals.
The state has been broken up into eight regions with multiple districts throughout each one of those regions to help facilitate the big lift of House Bill 84 from this legislative session which includes the safety assessments and the guardian program and things like that. 

Anthony Godfrey:
We definitely want to get into the details of that. Let's start with talking a little bit about the hoaxes that we've heard about over the, probably the last year is really where they've accelerated. Talk to us a little bit about how that information comes to you and what you want parents to know about hoaxes when they're announced, when they come out.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
So if I could think back, so as part of my role, I have been the school safety liaison with the Utah State Board of Education School Safety Center since 2020. That is a multidisciplinary team composed of individuals from the Utah State Board of Education, Division of Substance Use and Mental Health, or Office of Substance Use and Mental Health now, and the SAFE-UT as well as the Department of Public Safety. So we work collaboratively on all things school safety. The reason I give that background, in 20, I believe it was December of 2021, the first big hoax came in and if you recall there was a TikTok, there were TikTok trends going on in the fall. It started with the devious licks and then the smack your teacher and the various things that came out was monthly challenges. In December of that year, we received information right before school was getting out for the holiday break that there was a school shooting trend. If my recollection serves, the whole point was to give a hoax of a school shooting and shut your school down. 

Throughout the nation, we were tracking it through SAFE-UT and the Statewide Information and Analysis Center which is our state's intelligence and fusion center through the Utah Department of Public Safety. We had been tracking it and trying to get the messaging out to local education agencies but during that time there was so much panic throughout the nation that was caused. Nobody felt safe sending their kids to school that day. They were concerned that there was going to be a targeted attack and so nobody felt safe sending their kids to school and they decided to hold them back from school that day. 

As I have had talks with different individuals, I compare that to maybe one of the largest terrorist attacks that we've seen in our country and it was silent. It was basically able to be carried out through our own fear because it was our fear that messaging that got out, that panic and anxiety that was created because of this situation that we knew was false. We knew it was a hoax. The panic and anxiety created such a huge traumatic experience, traumatic reaction for some that it shut down the education system throughout the nation.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like the way you describe that. It really is silent but powerful in the impact that it has on families as they make decisions about sending their students to school. But the word hoax, when we put out a message that says this is a hoax, is there cause for alarm once it's been determined to be a hoax by the public safety organizations that we work with? 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Well each, you know, it's a very delicate topic when we're talking about that. And the reason I say that is yes, we may determine that it's a hoax. We may be tracking these hoaxes that are occurring throughout the nation, whether it be bomb threats, whether it be phone calls, whether it be email hoaxes. We may be tracking them and getting the information out to local education agencies. But until it happens, it hasn't happened. And so again we have the information that it's a hoax, however when it does happen we advise local education agencies, school districts, and schools themselves to remain vigilant. Adhere to your local policies and procedures. What are the practices that go into play? Still be vigilant, still be on guard, respond appropriately. But you have the ability to determine whether or not this is an actual or if it's a hoax.

When, for example, we got hit with the hoax in December of 2021 and then fast forward to March of 2023, just after the legislative session that it occurred for House Bill 61, throughout the state we received phone calls from the same individual. And it was the individual indicated that they were hiding in a bathroom and that there was an active shooter taking place. And as soon as there were 10 schools, I believe it was if I recall correctly it was 10 schools that were hit throughout the state, one school was hit twice. 

Anthony Godfrey:
With a threat.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
With an indicated an active shooting is happening right now. Some schools responded, I shouldn't say more appropriately than others because each of them responded within their available resources and how their policy is allowed. But there were some schools that were able to track, directly tie into the camera system into dispatch. And so they were able to track throughout the school to see, yeah nothing's happening here. They were able to tie in directly with their school resource officers and the school resource officers going through saying there's nothing here. And by the time that the information got to SIAC, we were about 45 minutes behind, 45 minutes to an hour behind on getting that information. So we really relied upon those local areas to adhere to their policies and procedures to figure out the legitimacy of what was going on. 

Once we determined that it was in fact a hoax, we were able to get that information of, okay, challenge the caller, where are they? They say they're in the bathroom, what bathroom, what floor? For example, if they say the third-floor bathroom and there's not a third floor to the school, we know it's a hoax. Have dispatchers ask certain questions that would indicate whether or not this individual was being truthful. What we found in that situation is when the dispatch was having that information or when the individual on the call with the call caller was asking these follow-up questions, the individual wasn't able to respond and they hung up. So that's some of the things to look for with these hoaxes. 

In December of 2023, we also got hit with email hoaxes throughout the state. And these email hoaxes for whatever reason, they were really targeting charter schools on this one. The other one that happened in March was kind of more of a public and then the one in December with the email hoaxes were kind of more targeted to the charter schools. There were a lot of charter schools. We were following it at SIAC for a couple of days prior to the event. 

Anthony Godfrey:
SIAC?

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
The Statewide Information and Analysis Center, which is the state's intelligence division through the Utah Department of Public Safety. So we were tracking it in local and surrounding states, getting it out to local law enforcement saying, "Hey, heads up, this might be coming." And then it happened, and it happened fast. But the things about the emails were, we determined it was a hoax, but the things about the emails were it was very nondescript. It was bomb hoaxes. Where were the bombs being placed? It was very nondescript of where in a garbage can in a bathroom, something like that. Looking at the email address, it obviously didn't look to be appropriate. 

All of the hoaxes can be, there's certain indicators that it could be a hoax. Like I say, unknown with the area, if it's just a very vague general knowledge area, a bathroom or a trash can or left it in a nearby park. Very nondescript, could be easily copied and pasted and sent to anywhere. Another thing that we have seen is information that is shared over social media. Very vague. For example, we'll use BHS. In any state, in any locale, there's a BHS. No matter where you go, there is a BHS. 

Anthony Godfrey:
It's easy for your imagination to assume that it's your BHS that they're talking about. I want to talk a little bit about how parents and students ought to react when they do see something like that posted. We recently did have a BHS that was posted and assumed to be about local schools, various districts picked it up. In fact, it was from the Pacific Northwest, as I recall. 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yes. 

Anthony Godfrey:
So it was a genuine threat, but for a different area that had made its way. So let's say a parent sees this on social media, a student sees this on social media. What is the appropriate action if they see either a very specific threat or a vague threat that feels like it could be targeted at their school or a school in the area? 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
You know, and that's, again, we talk about delicate situations and we want to reduce the fear and anxiety and the panic. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure. 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
When an individual, we'll use a hypothetical, student comes home from school and sees that something has been shared over Snapchat. We'll use BHS. That individual shows it to their parents. The knee-jerk reaction, and I think a large portion of society today, would be to screenshot that and share it with friends or share it on social media to see if anybody else has seen it. Does anybody else recognize this? Is anybody else receiving the same information? That is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. We should not be sharing that. 

If we screenshot it, screenshot it, and keep it and take it to local law enforcement or take it to school administrators, school safety and security specialists, school safety and security directors, the individuals who have the knowledge to be able to determine the legitimacy of this and help work through the investigation of a potential threat. We don't want to downplay it and say that it's probably somewhere else in the nation. We don't want to downplay it. We want to ensure that we can properly look into it, properly investigate it, and determine the legitimacy of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Take it seriously, but the way to take it seriously is not to repost. It's to take a screenshot and share it with the authorities.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Exactly, because once it's shared, then it goes into that viral potential. Once it's shared, it can go out to parents, it can go out to the community, it can go out to district leadership that wasn't even in the know that it was occurring and now the Board members are being upset and they're responding to constituents. The wildfire, if you want to use that analogy, can spread so quickly when this information is shared over social media. The important thing is to take the post or take some sort of documentation of it, take it to law enforcement, take it to school officials so they can be looking into it and look for the legitimacy of it.

The other thing that's really important is that our statewide information and analysis center is consistently receiving threats or information that could be potential threats throughout the nation. We follow things. The FBI gives information to SIAC. Social media gives information to SIAC. So there is a really good possibility that if there is a legitimate threat, SIAC may know about it. And so, SIAC can be contacted through a phone number on their website, but also through email at SIAC, SIAC@utah.gov, and they consistently monitor that inbox 24 hours a day, 7 days a week looking for threats. And they're able to take those threats once they receive it and they disseminate it to local law enforcement.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if you take a screenshot of a threat or a perceived threat, SIAC@utah.gov, you send an email of that screenshot, you have reported that threat.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yes, and SIAC will begin looking into it and share that with local law enforcement.

Anthony Godfrey:
Perfect. 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Part of House Bill 84 is the reporting of substantial threats. And it really is, I will say that for the majority, the state has been doing what the bill asks of them, but putting it into code really builds the relationship. And so the reporting of substantial threats comes into effect where there's really a triangulation of efforts. If a threat comes into SIAC, that threat can come in from the FBI, it can come in from Safe UT, it can come in from social media. SIAC receives the threat. They immediately report it to local law enforcement and the school of which the threat is concerning. That completes that triangulation. 

The other requirement of the bill is that if the school receives the threat, they immediately have to report it to local law enforcement, who at some point is going to share it with SIAC as well. And then if local law enforcement receives it, they immediately have to notify the school of which the threat is associated. And then at some point it gets back to SIAC. That triangulation is completed to really foster better communication. So if things are happening throughout the state, trends, things like that, we can follow that and track that, but foster that better effective communication, that trickle down information effect, so that we can really respond to these threats more appropriately.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's a really clear established channel for communication that was already there, but putting it into code, like you said, really solidified that. So when someone reports, they can feel confident that the school and state authorities are all going to be coordinating efforts right away to assess the credibility of the threat and what needs to happen as a result.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yes, and the system is not perfect. I will say the system is not perfect. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure. 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
There are hiccups that we have, and there are things that we are consistently working on from a state level to a local level to a district level of really trying to improve those channels of communication. But yes, there is, when operating at its best capabilities, there is that clear channel for the proper investigation and notification of these threats.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, the serious consequences for anyone who perpetuates a hoax threat.

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

Break:
It's something all parents need to know in the event of emergency in one of our schools. Hi, I'm Matt Alvernaz, a former law enforcement officer and Army Ranger, now school safety coordinator for Jordan School District. We're talking about the Standard Response Protocol, or SRP. Knowing SRP will help to keep everyone safe and informed if there is an emergency in one of our schools or buildings. Standard Response Protocol provides consistent, clear, share language and actions for all students, staff, first responders, and parents. It is language that can be applied to any emergency situation. The SRP actions now used in all schools statewide are hold, secure, lock down, evacuate, and shelter. To educate yourself and your children on these actions, visit schoolsafety.jordansistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are the penalties for someone who makes a threat? Say a student posts something, posts a threat about their school, or perpetuates a threat from someone else? What are the consequences of perpetuating something like that? 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
There are significant consequences, especially with the hoax threats. There were, based upon the hoaxes that came about in 2023, Representative Wilcox ran additional language for a bill, and HB14 was enhanced penalties for hoaxes and threats against schools. Those are intentional and knowingly, and if they're intentional and knowingly, it's a second-degree felony.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if you know that that's what you're doing, and you have the intent of creating fear or threatening a school, then those are severe consequences that somebody just posting on social media may not be thinking about in the moment. 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, are there any other tips that you have for parents when they see a threat, or if they have concerns about something that they're hearing through the media about possible danger in a school? 

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yes. I think one of the biggest things is to really ensure that the school has a proper relationship and a good relationship with SafeUT. SafeUT is one of our best resources that we have for reporting threats, and also for a crisis line. Anybody that's in crisis and just needs somebody to talk to. SafeUT is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they're immediately in touch with a clinical-level individual that can help through those moments of crises. But it's also our safe reporting application for the state. So ensuring that there is a good relationship with SafeUT between the district, the schools, and SafeUT is one of the best ways in ensuring that the parents have the notification of how to report things through SafeUT. 

Another is to have the parents be able to report things to local law enforcement, be able to have that open communication with the schools, understand that every school in the state, public and charter, is going to have a school safety and security specialist. Each LEA is going to have a school safety and security director. A lot of schools are going to have school resource officers. And knowing who those individuals are to help have the conversation about these areas of concern or these items of concern. 

Anthony Godfrey:
SafeUT, for those who may not have it, is an app that allows you to report anonymously. You can also share your name if you choose. It can be concerns about threats, about things that are happening at school, people who are in crisis can use SafeUT to get help as you described. We have a very clear protocol for following through on SafeUT as a district. We also have someone on call 24/7 to respond to what we hear from SafeUT. So they'll sometimes contact us to help address an issue as you know. So we do have a strong relationship there. We promote SafeUT and it's been a great tool to help make sure that we're hearing about the concerns out there and getting information from folks who may be aware of things that are happening at school that we need to address.

Is there a threshold that you can describe where parents or students need to make sure they're reporting something? Do you ever get too many reports about concerns? Or do they just if there's a concern, make sure you report it no matter what?

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Yeah, it goes back to the adage of, you know, I've always heard it from the Department of Homeland Security, ‘if you see something, say something.’ When I was on patrol, this was many years ago as a patrol officer, there would always be the individual that would call the police and say, I know I'm wasting your time. That was one statement that in my mind was, was kind of like, you don't need to say that. Because if it's a problem to you, it's a problem to me. If it is concerning to you as a citizen for the city that I work for, then it's a problem for me. And we're going to work through this and we're going to come up with a solution. 

So I think if going back to the adage of if you see, say something, say something, there is absolutely nothing wrong with reporting something that causes you concern. Like there's obviously something about the situation that stood out that made it outside the ordinary for you. So report it. And then let the professionals and let the individuals that have been trained to go through it and determine whether the legitimacy of it and determine the severity of it be the ones to figure it out. But there was something that caused alarm or something that caused, your antennae to stand up. Just to report it. There is, there's absolutely nothing that is going to come back on you negatively if it was something that you reported that ended up being nothing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about your background that led you to this position as lieutenant with the state.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
I, so law enforcement is kind of a unique profession and it used to be that law enforcement officers would stick with one agency, they'd remain with that agency. So I like to say that I was agency hopping before it was cool. I started my career in 2005 with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office as a correctional officer. And over time I worked for the Ogden City Police Department, Montana State University Police Department, found a home in Draper City where I was able to be a patrol officer, a DARE officer. I was the first school resource officer for the city and opened Corner Canyon High School. And then I reached a point in time in my career where I wanted to try something different. I went to the Department of Public Safety and investigated police misconduct at the Peace Officer Standards and Training Division, which we refer to as POST. And then in 2020, I took the position of school safety liaison.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a wide range of experience coming to this new position and we're grateful that you're there and helping support us in making our schools the safest place for kids to be.

Lt. Jeremy Barnes:
Well, thank you.

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

[music]

Anthony Godfrey:
How has Latinos in Action impacted you over the years?

Darianna Faria:
Just how to be better leaders outside of high school and how to kind of really teach me what I want to be outside of high school as well.

Emilio Villena:
I got the opportunity to know what being Latino means here.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Latinos in Action helped me to find those tools that can I use to have a good future.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are students on a mission to empower Latino youth to be college and career ready through culture, service, leadership, and excellence in education.

On this episode of the Supercast, we head to Herriman High School to find out what Latinos in Action is doing to recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month. Hear how they make a positive impact in the school and the broader community throughout the school year.

We are at Harriman High School today talking about Latinos in Action. Introduce yourself. You're the advisor and tell us a little bit about what's going on.

Emma Wilkinson:
Yeah, my name is Emma Wilkinson. I'm the advisor of Latinos in Action at Herriman High School. We have a lot going on this year. We probably have the strongest program that we've had up until this point this year. We have students who are focusing on tutoring. We have students who are focusing on leadership. We have a strong emphasis on college preparedness.

And so we have colleges who are coming to visit us and talk about different applications and scholarship information. So it's an exciting program. We're doing a lot of exciting things and it really empowers our Latino youth.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is an opportunity that isn't just available at Herriman High School. This is a statewide effort, even a national effort. So tell me how Herriman High School's club fits in with state and national organizations.

Emma Wilkinson:
Yeah, so yeah, Latinos in Action is a nationwide program. The number, the schools that have the most are in Utah and then Florida are the two high states. Latinos in Action started here in Utah. And so almost every high school has a program of Latinos in Action. Some are clubs, but like Herriman, where they're a little bit more established, we do have a class that kind of works as a class and a club at the same time. It's been a program that's been in development for over 20 years and we've seen it grow and it's exciting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the class. What subjects are covered and what does that portion involve as opposed to the club portion of Latinos in Action?

Emma Wilkinson:
So the class is split into a really interesting format where the content that I go over with them is called Preparedness. How to fill out FAFSA, how to apply for scholarships. We spend a long time talking about professionalism, how to appear professional in different environments, how to interview well, and how to have a resume. So a lot of life skills.

We also talk a lot about leadership. How can you become the best leader you can be and then put it into practice? And then the other half of this class is we get into committees where in those committees we have different leadership positions and they plan events. They plan service activities. They have the opportunity to put leadership in action.

And then the other half of the class is we tutor. So we go to an elementary school once a week, starting in October, where we help different students learn how to read, how to do math, how to learn their alphabet, and different things like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there's a lot of action in Latinos in Action, it sounds like.

Emma Wilkinson:
Very much so, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have three students here with you. Introduce yourselves and the office that you hold in Latinos in Action.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Okay, so my name is Eloisa Muñoz and I'm a Vice President in Citizen Action and I'm in charge of the service committee. Now we're selling crepes during the lunch and we're planning to help a lot with the fair that we're going to have in November.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the crepes are tomorrow, right?

Eloisa Muñoz:
The crepes are tomorrow, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And savory, sweet? I mean, I'm always thinking about lunch.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Yeah, they're very good. We have Franco's Churros that is helping us and they're very, very good.

Anthony Godfrey:
That sounds fantastic.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Yeah.

Darianna Faria:
My name is Darianna Faria. I'm the President for Latinos in Action. Kind of what I do is I kind of monitor a lot of the committees as well, professional, service and social. I kind of make sure that I'm communicating with any aspects of our class as well as other clubs and as well as other organizations outside of just L.A. I kind of make sure that we have different bonds as well. And I just kind of am like the mediator as well. I just kind of I don't know how else to put it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Internally you're making sure everything works and the people working together well. But you're also the president and ambassador to other clubs and the school at large. Making sure that you're connecting with all those other groups effectively. I love that you express it that way because sometimes it's easy to be focused on your own work and not how it connects to the work that others are doing. So I think that's great. Sure.

Emilio Villena:
So my name is Emilio Villena. I'm the Vice President too. I'm in charge of the Professional committee. Pretty much what we have been doing lately is just help the Service committee with the crepe selling. We are planning probably in two weeks having a taco truck here at Herriman. Bringing that taco truck here and just having the students like have a good time basically.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. I'm going to have to get the exact date and time of that event. Tell me– you're all seniors I assume. Is that right?

Emilio Villena:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So how has Latinos in Action impacted you over the years?

Eloisa Muñoz:
So Latinos in Action opened my mind completely because when I got here I thought they didn't have enough opportunities to have a future, like a good future, because I want to be a business lawyer. So when I got here I just didn't know many things and with Latinos in Action helped me to find those tools that can I use to have a good future.

So we go to the lot, for example, there's a company of taxes. That's really fun because we can do like networking and like have conversations with really good professionals. And Latinos in Action opened my mind completely to like to see that I have a future here.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the things you were hoping to do that you were worried you might not be able to do now feel within reach.

Eloisa Munoz:
Yeah. Now feel there I have like an opportunity to go for it. Just do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. I love hearing that. How about for you?

Darianna Faria:
So Latinos in Action– I grew up knowing about Latinos in Action. My older siblings and cousins were in Latinos in Action at Copper Hills actually. I kind of grew up being inspired of like how their leadership and the amount of activities that they did as well. And for me, it honestly created a safe space. Sometimes you feel like you don't belong with people who don't understand your same struggles. As well with people who like you know ‘I've been there, I've done that’, even like those little things where like we relate to like those Hispanic moms. Like references and stuff like that.

So we have those small connections as well as those safe spaces for everyone. For me that really created a safe space in leadership. There's things that like I have never like known before until I got to Latinos in Action. It really opened those doors for me as well. I didn't even have a resume until I joined Latinos in Action. I created a resume in Latinos in Action. I learned how to do interviews and stuff like that. I still use the same resume for jobs that I apply now as well.

It really helped me as well as like different leaders that would come and speak with us as well that would teach us how to be better leaders outside of high school and how to kind of really teach me what I want to be outside of high school as well because I was wanting to do sales and marketing outside of high school. So I feel like that really opened new possibilities and as well as like kind of venturing outside of the world and just in our little bubble here in high school.

Emilio Villena:
So for me since I joined Latinos in Action last year, it's been showing me how what does being Latino in this country mean honestly. Before I joined Latinos in Action actually, I didn't feel like we had enough representation here in school, in the country in general, since we're a minority. So when I joined Latinos in Action I could get to know all these different background cultures and just stories for everyone from everyone. So I really got the opportunity to know what being Latino means here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with the members of the Latinos in Action Club at Herriman High School.

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

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's drop in on the crepes activity sponsored by the Latinos in Action group at Herriman High School.

Eloisa Muñoz:
So we're selling crepes and we have Dulce de Leche, condiments, Nutella, and chocolate.

Darianna Faria:
They can all choose what they want on the crepes.

Eloisa Muñoz:
We also sell them Sprite, Coke, and water. Alright, here you go.

Student:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
You said that part of what Latinos in Action has done for you is to help you understand what it means to be Latino in this country. So tell me, what does it mean to you to be Latino in this country?

Emilio Villena:
That's a really good question. So I think it's showing that we are as strong as they are. It's going to sound a little weird, but showing them that we have the same capacity that they have. Although we are a minority here in this country, that doesn't mean that we are weak. That we have the capacity to create, to be more. If that makes sense, yeah.

Darianna Faria:
For me being Latina, it's more than just a skin color, a box to check off in a form as well. For me, it's coming from years of ancestry and as well as having not only just the same language in common as someone but being able to communicate just cultural similarities. And having to kind of be like, "We're Latino and we all come together in unity in the class as well, even though we all come from different countries."

Even though we speak the same language as well, we're a lot more unified as well. We can share those experiences and share those cultures. And being able to know our struggles as well, having parents who were either first generation or immigrated here, it's kind of more than just a box to check off. But it's kind of like who you are as a person, who you identify as. And it's kind of like something that it can change how you are, your personality as well, just from being part of a country that you're proud of.

I feel like being Latino can really show you your pride. I feel like some of us when we come here, we're a little scared to show our pride. I don't want to put my flag out there. I don't want to tell people that I am Latino or Latina, kind of scared of discrimination or anything like that. And I think it really helps us to get out of the show. I am proud to come from this country. I'm proud to show who I am and where I'm from as well.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Yeah, so to me, it's a bit of a voice for those who don't have one. I think it is being that example that sometimes many people want to see and like see in success. I feel like sometimes we don't have that many examples of it and I would love to be one. Like, I think we need more. I think we need more people to have like that voice, to say, you know, the American dream is possible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Eloisa Muñoz;
It's going to be really hard. And maybe sometimes you're going to you're just going to like to come back and just saying, you know what, I'm done with this. But I think it's really important to understand that it's going to be hard, but you're going to have a lot of success.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. It's hard work, but the opportunities are there. And I think it's remarkable that you all understand the power of example at this age. I know that I did not understand the power of example at your age. But it is important people look to you and they look to each other for courage and for an example. I love that you are that for so many people.

I'm so impressed with what you're doing and really with your approach to making the best of your experience here at Herriman High School and making sure that you lift others in every way that you possibly can. I have no doubt you have a tremendous impact as we were talking with the principal walking in before the interview. He just was listing off all the things that Latinos in Action does to have a positive impact here at the school. So congratulations on all of that.

What other activities are coming up?

Darianna Faria:
On November 2nd, we're going to have a festival, a multicultural festival. So we're not just going to be like Latinos. We have POP presenting.

Anthony Godfrey:
People of the Pacific.

Darianna Faria:
People of the Pacific. We have BSU.

Anthony Godfrey:
Black Student Union.

Darianna Faria:
Black Student Union, and all those clubs to present things, to have a booth on the festival. We're going to have the Mayor coming. We're trying to reach out to the CEO of LIA to come.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah?

Darianna Faria:
On November 2nd, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful.

Darianna Faria:
We're very excited.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I understand that there's a display in the media center for us to go check out. Tell me about that.

Darianna Faria:
Like in the windows we have various like posters and as well as kind of like telling from different countries and just kind of like what it means to be Hispanic, what it means to be a Latino, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're outside of the media center now and if you've ever been in our high schools in the Commons area, many of them have these large windows and so it's filled with posters about various countries. So tell me about the idea here and just describe this to the folks listening.

Darianna Faria:
Yeah, so basically what we have, we have various countries almost all over Latin America and including Spain as well. But we kind of wanted to showcase kind of what these different countries have. Their culture, their food, their dances, knowing that we all come from different countries, different backgrounds, and kind of just showing like the unity that we have here in Herriman High School as well as all the different people from all these different countries as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright, so are your countries all represented here with the poster?

Students:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright, let's go check those out. You are from Chile you said.

Eloisa Muñoz:
I'm from Chile. So let's go check that one.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's go take a look.

Eloisa Muñoz:
I think it's really accurate. We have Pedro Pascal, he's a famous actor.

Anthony Godfrey:
Pedro, I'm a Pedro Pascal fan.

Eloisa Muñoz:
He's so good.

Anthony Godfrey:
He's awesome. He's good. You're a Mandalorian fan?

Eloisa Muñoz:
I'm not.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're a Pedro Pascal fan. There are lots of other ways to like Pedro Pascal. What do the flowers represent?

Eloisa Muñoz:
Those are the typical flowers of Chile.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Eloisa Muñoz:
It's like a national thing so you cannot cut them or anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I see food. Oh, you can't cut them?

Eloisa Muñoz:
No.

Anthony Godfrey:
They're protected flowers.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Protected flowers, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what are they called?

Eloisa Muñoz:
Copihues.

Anthony Godfrey:
Copihues.

Eloisa Muñoz:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you give this poster an A?

Eloisa Muñoz:
An A. 100%. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Eloisa Muñoz:
They like Pedro Pascal. So that's a...

Anthony Godfrey:
Right. No, I agree. And how about you? Where… Oh, here we are. Ecuador.

Emilio Villena:
Yes. Right next to Chile.  I think they're missing a couple important things, honestly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So it's accurate, but there are a few other things that they might have wanted to add.

Emilio Villena:
Yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

Emilio Villena:
For example, I will add information about Julio Jaramillo. He was a singer from Guayaquil, Ecuador. So he makes the...it's right here, the Pasilla Musica. It's just some...there's no way to describe the Pasillo, honestly. It's just like some really calm music, kind of like tango.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Emilio Villena:
It's really good.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm pulling up Spotify right now, and I'm going to have you pop it in there because I do love music and food.

Emilio Villena:
It's just...it's music that goes into it solely.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how old or new is this music?

Emilio Villena:
It's pretty old. I wouldn't be able to say, but I'm going to guess like 80 years old probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Emilio Villena:
He's been there for a while. Julio Jaramillo.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I'll for sure give it a listen.

Darianna Faria:
So Venezuela will be right here, but there is a ton, and there's like different Venezuelan posters in different teachers' classrooms, as well as on the other side of the glass in the media center. There is more, but I mean, we do have a few right here that students created, and it's kind of just saying like, "Did you know natives speak more than 370 languages in South America?" So I myself am a native from Venezuela as well, so we're called guarijos and guarijas, and basically we're just kind of like the indigenous of Venezuela and stuff like that.

There is, other than just like Spanish, we have like a ton of different people speaking different native languages as well in South America, and as well as these posters right here. So this one won second place, right, in our state competition in the Latinos in Action Conference, and this one won an honorable mention. So these one as well as awards in the conferences for these artworks.

Anthony Godfrey:
This one has some nice vibrant colors in it. I love that. And kind of some motion to it. “Talent Runs Through Our Veins.” That has a great style to it, kind of a washed-out, sort of a pastel look. Yeah, wonderful stuff. So thank you very much for the time today and for walking me through these projects and lots of good things ahead. Thanks for everything you're doing, and I look forward to seeing those performances coming up.

Students:
Thank you. Thank you for giving us this date.

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.

Kim Cowart:
So I just finished the sixth marathon of the six major marathons.

Anthony Godfrey:
You say you're going to run one marathon to say that you did. And then you can't stop and you have to keep running them because it feels so great.

Kim Cowart:
I've done 60 marathons. It took me 15 years but I just finished that sixth marathon in Tokyo. And I got my medal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. When she's not in the classroom teaching English at Copper Hills High School, you will likely find Kim Cowart doing something else she has grown to love.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out how running has taken this amazing teacher to competitions all over the world and in the process transformed her life. Listen as Kim Cowart shares her incredible story.

We're here on the bridge at Daybreak to talk with Kim Cowart, Language Arts teacher at Copper Hills High School and runner extraordinaire. I know you won't like that title but I know you're a big runner. And this is your natural habitat. This is where you love to run.

Kim Cowart:
This is my home. I actually wrote an article about this place for Runner's World Magazine. How much I love it. I love it that much. I wrote a story about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So since we're here, this is gorgeous.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah, it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
The houses are beautiful. I mean this is planned to look gorgeous and they did a great job of it. Tell me about the Runner's World article and what you love so much about this place.

Kim Cowart:
So I've written a couple articles for them. My first one was about my race shirts and how they tell a story. The second one was about all of the international races I've done. I've traveled all over the world and run pretty much everywhere.

But this is the place I like to come home to. Like I know the path. I know every nook and cranny. Every curve. Every dip. Every hill. They've even laid some more paths. It's safe so I can run 20 miles. And there are bathrooms. There's water fountains. There's people. It's just beautiful. It's safe. It's… I don't know. I never get tired of it. I run here almost every single day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk a little bit about your accomplishments. What are your most recent big events?

Kim Cowart:
So I just finished the sixth marathon of the six major marathons. Runners know what this is but non-runners probably don't. There are six major marathons around the world and that's where the elites go to compete. That's where the prize money is. It’s New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London and Tokyo. Recreational runners, if you finish those six you get a special six-star medal. It's a huge deal because they're really hard to get into. Boston you have to qualify. London, I think only like 2% of runners get accepted in. So anyway, it took me 15 years but I just finished that sixth marathon in Tokyo.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s amazing.

Kim Cowart:
And I got my medal and I was... I'm done.

Anthony Godfrey:
When was that?

Kim Cowart:
That was in March.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how those six majors compare. I mean London, are you running on the wrong side of the road?

Kim Cowart:
Probably but not on purpose. I mean every one is different and unique. Berlin was awesome. I went with two friends. One of them was from Germany and her husband met her there while he was stationed during the Cold War. So I got to take a little tour of Berlin through their perspective and get their historical stories.

But then you're running, literally crossing over from East and West Germany. Whereas years ago people would have been killed to do that. I'm just running back and forth and I got chills. The day before the marathon–

Anthony Godfrey:
The symbolism of that is pretty amazing.

Kim Cowart:
It was not lost on any of us. And then we finished through the Brandenburg Gate. I mean people were crying. The day before there's like a 5k shake-out run, but it finished at the Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens won. He was running track and field in front of Hitler. I mean that stuff–

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s unforgettable

Kim Cowart:
It is unforgettable. And then Boston, I was there in 2013 when the bombs went off.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Kim Cowart:
Yeah, my hotel was on that street. I think that terrorist attacks happen out there somewhere to other people. It happened right in front of me. So I was in my hotel on Boylston Street. I had finished but I had friends that didn't. I had friends that were watching finishers at that time. The first bomb exploded where my kids had stood just a couple years earlier watching me finish. So it was all too close. So that was a horrible, horrible year. It was supposed to be my last. So I went back in 2014 because nobody wants to finish–

Anthony Godfrey:
So you ran Boston again to make sure that was not your last experience in Boston.

Kim Cowart:
I ran Boston again. And as awful as 2013 was, 2014 was the best running day of my entire life. Hands down.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's such a great idea to go back so that you don't have that as your last memory.

Kim Cowart:
It was really hard. I didn't expect it to be that hard.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Tokyo, tell me about Tokyo.

Kim Cowart:
Tokyo, I mean I love Japan. It's my second trip there. I won't pretend that I enjoyed it because it's the first race I've ever done while working a full-time job, teaching full-time. I've never trained for a marathon and taught full-time. So it was really hard to just get up, run, teach, home.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you had to take time off like during the year.

Kim Cowart:
I had to take a few days off.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have it fit in with everything else.

Kim Cowart:
That was really hard to leave my students. My principal, Ray Garrison, was so supportive. I came to her at the beginning of there and said, "Look, I got into this race. I have to do it. I can't put this off."

And she's like, "Go, have a great time."

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's awesome.

Kim Cowart:
“You don't need my permission. Just have a great time.”

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel having conquered all six now? You're done.

Kim Cowart:
So good. It's the best feeling in the world. I'm done. I didn't quit. I mean, it took me 15 years, but I did it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, the cliche is that you say you're going to run one marathon to say that you did.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then you can't stop and you have to keep running them because it feels so great. Was that your experience?

Kim Cowart:
I've done 60 marathons.

Anthony Godfrey:
60?

Kim Cowart:
Yeah. I feel like that's a good number.

Anthony Godfrey:
I guess you can call yourself a marathoner.

Kim Cowart:
I know people who've done a lot more.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's always someone who’s done more.

Kim Cowart:
There’s always people who have done more. I feel like 60 is nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a nice round number.

Kim Cowart:
Someone's like, "Why not go for a hundred?" I'm like, "That's 40 more marathons."

Anthony Godfrey:
Why not go for a hundred?

Kim Cowart:
I'll be a hundred if we do that. No. I feel like that's a good accomplishment. Yeah. My first race was a marathon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Your first race?

Kim Cowart:
My first race. I was looking... I'd done a 10 miler. I'd started running because I had kids and I wasn't… I was a teacher in Las Vegas for six years. I quit when I started having my kids. I have two daughters. But I never felt whole. I've always wanted to be a teacher. So, I was kind of just trying to find my thing. When postpartum hit, I started running just to get outside and be alone. And one thing led to another. Next thing you know, I'm doing 10-mile runs around my neighborhood. So, I went online to sign up for the half marathon and I looked at the price. It was only like $10 cheaper than the marathon. I always like a good deal.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's how they get you.

Kim Cowart:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
You know, the medium-sized popcorn is $9 but the large is only $10.

Kim Cowart:
You can run 26 miles if you just pay 10 more dollars. Like that is a deal.

Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly.

Kim Cowart:
And so I signed up for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So, you supersized your marathon.

Kim Cowart:
I supersized. I don't recommend it. It was dumb. But I did it. I did it. And I qualified for Boston that first race.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Now wait a minute. Your very first race, you were going to do a half. You did a full. And you qualified for Boston?

Kim Cowart:
I did. By like 45 seconds. Yeah, I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh my heavens. I looked up those times.

Kim Cowart:
I know. I was just as shocked.

Anthony Godfrey:
I ran the Leprechaun Lope three times and thought I was an international athlete because I completed it. I would pick off people with a stroller and try to beat them.

Kim Cowart:
That's how you do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
But they would beat me. It didn't work. I ran faster because I was trying to beat them but I couldn't make it.

Kim Cowart:
That's funny.

Anthony Godfrey:
But you qualified for Boston your first race.

Kim Cowart:
Well, I didn't even really know what that was.

Anthony Godfrey:
That must have told you though that I've got some natural proclivity for running some natural talent.

Kim Cowart:
See, I never knew that because growing up I was told that I was not athletic because I wasn't coordinated. I can't catch a ball. I can't hit a ball. I can't kick a ball. So I always just thought I'm not athletic. So I never tried.

Anthony Godfrey:
60 marathons later, do you feel athletic?

Kim Cowart:
I feel like I want to go back to my high school gym teacher and say, I told you I could. You just need to give me my time to do it on my terms.

Anthony Godfrey:
So as a teacher then, what does that make you think about when you have this opportunity to teach students about themselves?

Kim Cowart:
That you can be what you want to be. You don't have to listen to what other people think you are. You can do what you want to do. I was in my mid-30s. I think I was 33 when I finished my first marathon. So you have your whole life. You think that you have to decide by the time you graduate from high school what you're going to do and the exact path you're going to walk. And that's just not true. My life is nothing like I expected it to be. And marathons were the biggest surprise. But you have to try it. You don't know if you're good at it unless you try it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with Kim Cowart and the chance to hear some of her advice for students.

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

Break:
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:
I love how this has shaped the way that you view yourself in every way.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah. Well, I will tell you, so I took 20 years off of teaching. Last year was my first year back after 20 years. All of that running that I did before made me believe that I could actually do this. There are different types of challenges, but I'd say coming back to teaching is as challenging, if not more so than running marathons.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how does it feel now that you're looking at year two? You've got year one behind you?

Kim Cowart:
I mean, I feel like I'm brand new. I feel like I'm starting all over again this year. I am so lucky to be where I am with the other teachers that I work with and the students that I get to talk to every day. I'm so happy where I am as hard as it is. And there are days I come home crying. But it's as fulfilling, if not more so than running those marathons.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's hard when you pour yourself into a job. There are tough days when you pour yourself into a job like you do.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah. And there are tough training runs and there are races that don't work out the way you expect them to. But you just sign up for the next one.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many miles do you run in the morning out here?

Kim Cowart:
It depends. Most of the time before school, I'm getting a little slower, so between 10 and 12 miles most days, sometimes it's seven or eight, but usually about 10-ish.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is there any other place that you train or run? Or is it always here?

Kim Cowart:
Not anymore. When I was training for more marathons, I used to do like eight or nine marathons a year, I would run with groups. I would travel and we'd go to Immigration Canyon and up Legacy Parkway and Jordan River Parkway.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is where you come back to?

Kim Cowart:
This is where I come back to. I'd rather run here. I know exactly how many miles and how to add miles, how to take shortcuts.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you know how long every segment is?

Kim Cowart:
I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
And do you run through the neighborhoods like this?

Kim Cowart:
Sometimes. Like this island here, the whole circumference of the inner island is 1.2 miles. So if I need to add a little extra...

Anthony Godfrey:
As I looked at it, it felt like about 1.2.

Kim Cowart:
I know it. It's 1.2 and then the big loop around is 3.2. But then you can go up to the other side of Daybreak, on the other side of Mountain View and they've got new trails up there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Once again, I feel like I've driven from school to school, from event to event, and haven't really paused to take a look. And that's one of the beautiful things about running.

Kim Cowart:
That's why I like running.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that you're right there, you're ground level and you have a chance to really absorb your surroundings.

Kim Cowart:
When I travel, I always try to get outside that first day and run to reset my time clock but also to get to know the layout. Because you can't do that when you're driving. But when you're running, it's embedded. The route is embedded in your mind. You really get to know your surroundings better. And you see things you can't get to by car too.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the walking community that they set out to create has become the running community for you.

Kim Cowart:
There's tons of running. You can come out here at 4 in the morning, which I do on school days. And I will see at least 4 or 5 people out here running.

Anthony Godfrey:
If I'm up at 4 in the morning, I bust open my email to see if I can get a jump on the day.

Kim Cowart:
No, no, no, no.

Anthony Godfrey:
You are out here. You are making it happen.

Kim Cowart:
If I want to get my runs in, I have to do it before school.

Anthony Godfrey:
So bathrooms, drinking fountains. But what else is it about this area that you love so much when you come out to run?

Kim Cowart:
I mean, it's peaceful. You can look at the water.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It’s beautiful.

Kim Cowart:
I mean, you've got geese and I don't know, just the sound of the water before school starts calms me down. So by the time I get to my classroom, I just feel okay. I feel mentally prepared for the day because I've been out here, I've been out in nature. And it's only a mile away from my house.

Anthony Godfrey:
So do you run here?

Kim Cowart:
Mm-hmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then, I mean, if you look up, the view of those mountains...

Kim Cowart:
Isn't it gorgeous?

Anthony Godfrey:
...is gorgeous. And the way it changes throughout the day, I don't think we can look at the mountains enough.

I can't help but notice your tattoo on your forearm here and knowing U2, I see that's a Bono autograph. Is that correct?

Kim Cowart:
It is. It is his autograph.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Bono signing your arm and it subsequently becoming a tattoo.

Kim Cowart:
So my husband and I have been following U2 since we've been married for almost 25 years. We have... In fact, we met because we love U2. He told me he quit his job in high school to go see them on tour. I'm like, we are bound to be together.

Anthony Godfrey:
It wasn't confusing when you said, "I love U2." And he said, "I love you too."

Kim Cowart:
Yeah, yeah. We went back and forth like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Alright.

Kim Cowart:
So yeah, we've been following them around the world. We've been trying to meet Bono. We've met all the other band members. But Bono just never was able to come out. And then last summer... Well, it was actually last spring. We flew out to New York to see Bono in his one-man Broadway show. He had just had a book come out. And...

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a great book, by the way. I love it.

Kim Cowart:
It's a fabulous book. And the audio version is incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's what I did. I listened to the audio version while walking, not running.

Kim Cowart:
He is an artist. Yeah. He is a poet, a writer. He's incredible. So, we went to a show and as always, we went outside that afternoon to try to meet him outside the venue. And finally, it happened. He came out and he signed autographs. He signed my book. He signed one of our album covers. He talked to us a little bit. I think I was a little too starstruck. I might have just said, "Thank you." And so, he signed my book and then I had him tattooed on my arm.

But that was the same morning that I interviewed via Zoom for my job at Copper Hills with Rich and Heather, the two that hired me. So, it was a really good day. I got hired and I got Bono's tattoo. Or Bono's autograph.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s fantastic. Wow. That's amazing.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah. It was a wonderful day.

Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that later today you're going to be talking with the Copper Hills cross-country teams.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What message do you plan to share today?

Kim Cowart:
Trust yourself. Believe the positive things people say about you. Your successes are not always the success you have planned. Like, success comes in different forms and it rarely comes in the form that you think it's going to come in. So, I'm going to tell them a few stories from my own running past.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you love most about teaching now that you've been away from it and now that you're back? What do you love the most about it?

Kim Cowart:
I love being around the students. I love this age group. I teach mostly juniors, but I've taught sophomores too. I like that age. They're the same age as my own daughters right now. My youngest daughter is a senior at Herriman High School. I just like being around them. I like feeling like maybe there are a few students that come out of my classroom, better writers. Maybe. I hope.

I love interacting with my colleagues. It's nice to be back with my teacher friends again and having that in common. I feel like I'm part of a community again, which running, you're in a community, but you're also doing that solo. And I've missed that piece of my teacher self too. So, it's nice to be back.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we're really glad to have you back.

Kim Cowart:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I'm glad for all these lessons that you're able to share with students to help them believe in themselves.

Kim Cowart:
Thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
And, you know, you've inspired me to at least get outside in the morning a little bit.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah, go for a walk.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can't promise 60 marathons, but I'm going to move a little bit more than I have. And the morning routine is really inspiring.

Kim Cowart:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
The way that you've come through so many difficulties and just keep moving, it's really thrilling to talk with you about it.

Kim Cowart:
And walk around Daybreak. There's a million people out here in the morning.

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.

Tyler Johnson:
The benefit and really the purpose is to provide all kids with a positive character-building experience through sports.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're here at various times to help train coaches and student athletes.

Tyler Johnson:
The foundation of those is building trust. How do you build trust with the young people that we're coaching?

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the sense of efficacy that I think coaches and student athletes will get out of this.

Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is designed to help coaches and student athletes recognize and embrace the true power of being positive.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside athletic trainings where the emphasis is on teamwork, good sportsmanship, and being your best self on and off the playing field. Hear from Jordan School District coaches and student athletes who are truly embracing the concept and spreading the word in a winning way.

We're at Riverton High School today just before a training talking with Bryan Veazie, our District Athletic and Activities Director. Thanks for joining us.

Bryan Veazie:
Thank you. Excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Tyler Johnson from the Positive Coaching Alliance. You're here to train students today on sportsmanship and you're part of a broader initiative that Mr. Veazie has promoted and initiated to really help elevate the level of coaching and the player experience. So that it's a positive experience and that we get the most out of the time that we're investing in athletics here in Jordan School District.

Tyler Johnson:
Yeah, we're extremely excited to partner with Jordan School District and today work with the student athletes. I've had the honor to work with some of the administrators and some coaches as well. We're excited to continue that work with our partnership and find ways that we can strengthen the athletic culture and find some alignment. And like you said, the benefit and really the purpose is to provide all kids with a positive character-building experience through sports.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the Positive Coaching Alliance generally. What sort of work do you do? You're here at various times to help train coaches and student athletes. How did all this come to be and what's your purpose?

Tyler Johnson:
Sure. Yeah, Positive Coaching Alliance is a national nonprofit organization that started about 25 years ago by Jim Thompson out of Stanford's athletic department, they kind of joked back in a broom closet. It really expanded about 10, 12 years later to being a national organization with people, trainers, and staff all across the country. So my role, I handle partnership development here in the Rocky Mountains as well as one of our educators and trainers that gets to go work with it with kids, coaches, and athletes. And really that's what we try to do is partner with them and find education and the pieces that they're needing to support and supplement the things that they're doing already to strengthen their culture.

So I got to it as being a former athlete. My mom was a teacher and coach and was a college athlete. Personally, as a youngster didn't experience I think a lot of positive coaching. So I was curious about the organization in that aspect and found a lot of fulfillment over the last decade plus being able to work with schools and school districts with our partnerships.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the key elements of positive coaching that you emphasize in your trainings?

Tyler Johnson:
Yeah, we focus on really three core elements and they show up a little bit differently. Part of that is trying to find and provide some alignment in language and ideas and concepts for coaches and kids. But really the three biggest things that we focus on and the foundation of those is building trust. How do you build trust with the young people that we're coaching? And we do that with three core principles.

One, the idea of mastery that we talked about. How are we becoming the best version of ourselves, the best athlete? And then we also talk about really our second core principle. We use the analogy of an emotional tank. All of our kids are gassed up and someone pointed out to me that sometimes maybe we've got some hybrid kids, right? We've got to recharge. Sometimes we do have to like we can't just fill up and keep going. Sometimes we've got to step back and recharge. And so we've all got this emotional tank and when those emotional tanks are full, behavior is better, performance is better. So how do we create that not as a coach but within peer-to-peer environments? We know how strong peer-to-peer influence is. So how do we as a coach in our athletic culture foster that encouragement that kids are showing up with e-tanks that are fuller so we can achieve more, do more, and face more challenges when we have a full e-tank.

The last third part is like you said kind of what we hone in on sportsmanship. We call it honoring the game. How do you have respect for what we call the roots which is really I think those key pieces that we see at our competitions. How do you demonstrate and have dignity and integrity for the respect for the rules, the officials, your opponents, the teammates you have and then most importantly yourself.

I think when we model that as an athlete and a coach and have that self-respect, a lot of the other things can take care of themselves. Those are really the three core things that we know that when those things are focused on they drive experience, they drive performance.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it sounds as if you're not only emphasizing the positive relationship between a coach and a player, a student athlete but also the relationship among student athletes, among members of the team. And how the coach can maximize those interactions to really strengthen every member of the team.

Tyler Johnson:
No doubt. I think asking athletes to reflect back, it is that relationship piece that is so important in scholastic sports. I think in education-based athletics, at the younger years before you get to high school, kids get into sports because they want to make friends. There's a social element and that's still very alive and drives performance and keeps kids showing up and consistent. And so that I think is as a coach we know, yeah we need maybe some more positivity, but you can't do it yourself. We're outnumbered. We have to foster it and get our kids to understand how powerful it is to recognize each other when we're doing things right. If we create a culture of that, it's a little easier to help and support each other when we need a little bit of accountability or responsibility that's not showing up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mr. Veazie, when you partnered with Positive Coaching Alliance tell me what are some of the outcomes you were hoping for in Jordan School District?

Bryan Veazie:
I think ultimately, you know, having been involved in athletics my whole life, both as an athlete all the way through college, and a coach for 17 years, and then seeing it from an administrative perspective, I think what I realized is that there's been this evolution of athletics. It's becoming more high stakes, it's becoming more competitive, it's becoming more cutthroat. Everybody feels like the wins are the most important thing and everybody feels like if they don't get a scholarship to play at another level that they've failed themselves and their parents. And their parents don't have the opportunity to brag about their student going to school on a scholarship.

So one thing that I've been doing a lot of research on and one thing that I've come to understand in the Jordan School District and throughout the nation is that we really need to take the opportunity to go back to the focus of why athletics exist at the high school level in the first place. Understanding that it is an opportunity that kids have a high level of interest in that not only gives them those skills and teaches them from those life's experiences, but motivates them to come to school and holds them accountable for being in attendance, for demonstrating good behavior, for maximizing their academic capacity and for achieving high levels of success in academics.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the way that you connect academics and athletics and really that's at the core of what we do as a school district. Those athletic outcomes are going to be the result of focusing on sportsmanship, focusing on the team, focusing on positive coaching. When you do all of that I would anticipate that you see better athletic outcomes in those state championships start to flow.

Tyler Johnson:
For sure. We've said relationships I think a couple of times already, and I think one of the things we always tell kids is when you ask a team about championships they talk about relationships and if you want to get to a championship you're going to need relationships. I think that's why we kind of look at that as that foundation of trust that you're creating.

Anthony Godfrey:
Part of my motto is to be intentional and I love how intentional this is that we step back and we say why are we doing this in the first place. Once we're more centered on our purpose then we're able to accomplish that purpose more effectively. I love the sense of efficacy that I think coaches and student athletes will get out of this. That I put an effort toward really focusing on why I'm doing this and making sure I'm connected with the team. That the coaching is structured in a way to emphasize sportsmanship and a positive relationship, respecting, honoring the sport. That the results come after that and that sense of efficacy is really important. I talk about that a lot and it's important in the classroom and it will be important in athletics as well.

What does the training schedule look like? What does the involvement of coaches and students look like? Just for those who are wondering about an overview of the program in Jordan.

Bryan Veazie:
Yeah, so Jordan District has entered into a partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance. They have a long history. They have a high level of success. They have a great advisory board that consists of some of the legends in coaching and playing at all levels. They support everything from the little league programs all the way up to the major leagues and professional programs throughout the country.

We are really excited about making sure that we provide opportunities for all stakeholders involved in athletics to better understand their role, to learn more what that looks like and to become more effective and efficient in executing that role. Today we're offering the Student Leadership Captains Academy workshop. We're going to help some of the leaders of each program at every school for the fall sports to be more intentional, to improve themselves, to help improve others, to honor the game, to do things right. And then we're going to ask them to go and share that with their teammates and with their coaches and try to find ways to implement that within their programs.

We're going to be doing this for seasons. So coming up in the winter season, we'll be doing a winter season session for winter athletes, student athletes, and for winter coaches. And then we'll be doing another one in the spring. Our hope is that moving forward, we can take advantage of some of the parent workshops the Positive Coaching Alliance provides and really help our parents better understand how to most effectively support their children.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that emphasis on connecting with parents. That's how we're most effective as educators, as coaches, is when we're well connected with families and parents and we have good communication there. So well, thank you both for everything you're doing to enhance the experience of parents, student athletes, coaches, and spectators in Jordan District. It's an important component of what we do and I'm excited to see what happens.

Tyler Johnson:
Thank you for having me.

Bryan Veazie:
Yeah, thank you. We're excited for this opportunity and we really appreciate the Superintendent's support.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back we'll talk with student athletes who are part of the Positive Coaching Program.

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

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

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with two of the students who participated in today's event. Tell me your name, your sport, and your school.

Alli Sorensen:
I'm Alli Sorensen. I'm a senior at Riverton High School and I play on the varsity girls soccer team.

Tayshaun Ogomo:
I'm Tayshaun Ogomo. I'm a senior at Herriman High School and I do cross country and track.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the experience today. What are some of the things that you learned that you'll take back to your team?

Alli Sorensen:
Yeah, so we talked a lot about being an energy raiser, and how to eliminate negativity from the team, and how to start off games or whatever in the right headspace.

Tayshaun Ogomo:
Yeah, just really motivating everybody and leading by example. Just trying to bring everybody up instead of taking people down.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you really focused on the leadership role that you play as a student athlete. Are you part of the team leadership?

Alli Sorensen:
Yeah, so we have six seniors on our team and our coach invited all of us to come to this meeting which I thought was cool because upperclassmen kind of set the tone for the rest of the team. So I thought it was really good for us all to kind of be reminded that we're the leaders on the team, the younger or younger classmen. I know that's the word. The younger girls look up to us and yeah.

Tayshaun Ogomo:
Exactly like she said, it's just like being a senior here, all the younger kids look up to us and they follow what we do so it's really important to lead by example.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you think about the coming season now, now that you've been through this training and you've focused on working together as a team and focusing on sportsmanship?

Tayshaun Ogomo:
Yeah, it's really exciting being able to look into this next season because there's a lot of powerful things we learned today that I'm able to bring into the season. And just show all the rest of the kids on the team how to do, just lead by example, bring the energy up, be a good person. It's going to make everything better this season.

Alli Sorensen:
Yeah, I actually, while we were sitting there, I texted the girls who couldn't be there and I was like, hey guys, we should try –we talked about doing a shout-out circle in the training which is basically you all just stand around for a game, arms on your shoulders and just say like, hey, you're doing this really well, I noticed that. So I think we're actually going to try that at our game today, which is kind of cool and with the season just starting. We have so much room to improve right now, we've had a rocky first start but hey, maybe we'll go up from here.

Anthon Godfrey:
But you feel like this creates a little bit of a path forward and you're optimistic after today.

Alli Sorensen:
Yeah, for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, great. Well, I love the positivity and I love the emphasis on the impact that you have as student athletes and as leaders on your team because really the coach, the administration, all of us can only do so much. It really comes from students supporting each other. That's what creates the best experience. Thank you both for taking the time. Good luck tonight and good luck this year with your season. Good things are ahead.

Alli Sorensen:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Brady Bartholomew, the assistant principal over athletics at Riverton High. Thanks for joining us.

Brady Bartholomew:
Absolutely, happy to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
You hosted the training today and you attended as an administrator over athletics. You attended one of the trainings earlier this summer. Tell me a little bit about that and how it maybe shifted your focus.

Brady Bartholomew:
Yeah, so it's interesting. When we attended this training, administrative training over the summer of the Positive Coaching Alliance, it changed the mindset of really emphasizing positivity, not only in athletics but even in my workforce. I found ways that I could actually implement it myself just in the working environment here at Riverton High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just the teamwork aspects translate to your work as an administrator?

Brady Bartholomew:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
As a former baseball coach, can you see the application and the importance of this when you're working with a team?

Brady Bartholomew:
Absolutely. As a coach, it's very difficult because as you can imagine, you're going through these seasons and they can be very difficult working with these student athletes as far as one aspect, their mental health. We are actually offering this Positive Coaching Alliance which emphasizes a lot with their mental health and how to be more positive, not only on their selves but as a team collectively.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's an important emphasis and I think we underestimate just how much we need to be focused on student mental health and being supportive in every aspect. We do that during the school day but we really need to focus on that during athletics as well. So I'm grateful for the time that you've spent with this and for the work you do supporting the athletic programs at Riverton High.

Brady Bartholomew:
Absolutely. I love doing it. Love working with the students.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you very much.

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.

Paul Bergera:
So Zonar is a way for us to, it's a GPS tracking system and so Zonar allows us to monitor our buses.

Anthony Godfrey:
We decide where you want the notice. So okay it's going to take this much time for my child to walk to the bus stop. So I'm going to set it so that I know exactly when the bus is close enough that we need to head to the bus stop.

Paul Bergera:
That's correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. You can follow the progress of your child's Jordan District School bus for pickup and drop off with an optional app that is easy to use and brings parents peace of mind.

On this episode of the Supercast, we hear all about Zonar MyView. It's an app that allows parents to check on their own child's school bus location and the estimated time of arrival at the bus stop each day. Thousands are already using the app. Could it be useful for you as well? Listen and find out.

We're here at the Transportation Department with three of our transportation experts to talk about Zonar. Introduce yourselves and then let's talk a little bit about this great app for parents.

Paul Bergera:
Thank you, Superintendent. I'm Paul Bergera, the Director of Transportation.

Debbie McKinlay:
I'm Debbie McKinlay. I work with the Zonar app.

Mary Anne Balfour:
And I'm Mary Anne Balfour. I work in dispatch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about what Zonar is. So for parents listening who may not be familiar, what does the Zonar app do for families?

Paul Bergera:
So Zonar is a way for us to– it's a GPS tracking system. And so Zonar allows us to monitor our buses. It tells us when a door is open, how fast it's going, how long it stopped at a stop. The MyView parent app is a component of Zonar and that's really a tool for parents and schools to be able to use to simply be able to track their bus. Know when it's going to be coming into a certain zone that the parents will set up. Just a really good tool for parents and schools to have in order to track school buses.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's an easy tool to find out where your child's bus is in real time.

Paul Bergera:
Correct. Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell us how do they get the app. Their favorite app store, they look for Zonar.

Paul Bergera:
Yes. They look for the Zonar MyView app. And if they would like step-by-step instructions, there's only four steps. From downloading the app to the completion of getting signed up for the MyView app.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about what they need to do.

Paul Bergera:
So the first thing they would want to do is download the Zonar MyView app from the Apple app store or Google Play. They would enter the school access code, which they can find online or on a handout that their bus driver can give them. They enter their child's unique student ID, which is their student ID they use in Skyward. And then they create alert zones around drop-off and pickup points. It's really that simple.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you decide where you want the notice. So, okay, it's going to take this much time for my child to walk to the bus stop. So I'm going to set it so that I know exactly when the bus is close enough that we need to head to the bus stop.

Paul Bergera:
That's correct. Yeah, absolutely. And a lot of people set it up with, you know, an alert that's maybe seven minutes. Brush your teeth. An alert that's three minute, grab your backpack.

So people can have fun with it and play around to determine where those zones are. They establish their own zones and what kind of an alert kind of comes at them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, this comes in handy on a regular day, but it particularly comes in handy on a day where we might have a little bit of weather, not enough weather to delay or to close school, but really enough weather that maybe the buses are running a little bit behind.

Paul Bergera:
Absolutely. A day kind of like maybe today, a little rain, a little wet. It also, as the days become darker, it just gives parents that sense of comfort that their students aren't necessarily waiting at a bus stop longer than they need to.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So if it's dark or it's rainy, then if it's a dark and stormy day, then you can make sure that your child isn't at the bus stop earlier than they need to be.

Paul Bergera:
That's correct. That's correct. And really, like I mentioned earlier, there is all of our drivers have access to a to a handout that can talk to parents about the instructions on downloading the app and making it work. Then on our district website, we also have that available.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where do they go on the website to find that unique number that they need to enter in?

Paul Bergera:
They can just go on the website in the search engine, just type in Zonar MyView parent app, and it will pop right up and give them instructions on what they need to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, who do they call if they need help? Debbie, is that you? The person that they contact if they need assistance?

Debbie McKinlay:
Yes. Actually, the easiest way to do it is when they're using the parent app, they go into the support tab where they set up the app. It has a support tab and that all those emails come directly to me. So I get all of the background information. If they say I'm not able to find my student or I can't track the bus, I search in the background by their email. So I would be asked if they called me, I'd need their email anyway. It's really better to send me the email. Click on the support tab, tell me what's wrong. I will search for it and I'll correspond that way. And it works out really good. Otherwise, they can call me for sure and dispatch would forward the call to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the phone number that they call if they have a question?

Debbie McKinlay:
It's 801-567-8841.

Anthony Godfrey:
And they just have a question, ask for Debbie. I have a question on the Zonar family app.

Debbie McKinlay:
Correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, that's awesome. So you've also, Mary Anne, worked with parents over the years. How has having Zonar impacted those interactions?

Mary Anne Balfour;
So the interactions with parents, it helps those calls. “Where's my bus? Is it running late?” Those don't have to come into dispatch. So then we have the ability to focus on, do we need other routes covered? Other things that might be important as well that needs our one-on-one attention rather than looking up bus numbers continually on where's my bus?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, which we understand that parents want to have that information. This is the easiest way to get it quickly because it may be tough to reach someone on a difficult morning. Things are difficult for everyone. How many buses are we running at any given time, Paul?

Paul Bergera:
For our route buses, about 185 buses.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's 185 buses serving three different schools each in all likelihood.

Paul Bergera:
Correct. Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there's a lot going on and having the Zonar parent app means that you can get that information a lot more quickly.

Mary Ann Balfour:
You can. We've actually seen teachers who go out and meet buses, maybe with our special education, utilizing the Zonar app so that they know when the buses are coming to the school. So that they can go out and meet those buses when they get there and get the children in quickly and eliminate the wait time on that application as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
So there's a great application for schools as well to be able to use this and just be aware of when buses are coming and especially Kauri Sue Hamilton School. I know when I first walked in we talked about that with 34 buses. This comes in very handy I'm sure for them as they're trying to manage helping students into the building and knowing exactly when those buses are arriving because there are a lot of factors that can impact that schedule.

Paul Bergera:
Absolutely. It's a terrific tool for that application and Mary Ann I'm going to give her a lot of credit. She took the time to create zones around Kauri Sue Hamilton so she may have a north, south, and east and a west zone that alerts those teachers and the front office staff when buses are coming in. It really helps cut down the wait time and helps teachers just focus on their kids when they're at the school and then the ability to just jump outside and grab other students and head back in. So there's not a lot of wait time out on the curb.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, more about the Zonar MyView Family app and the security measures that are in the Zonar MyView Family app.

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Most of the time buses are very predictable in when they arrive, when they get to school, when they leave. There are things that get in the way sometimes and it's nice to have the peace of mind that you can go in and check and say, "Hey wait a minute, the bus isn't here yet. What's going on?"

Debbie McKinlay:
Exactly. And you know we are, especially this time of year in orange cone season, that then moves into the snow season and traffic and those things delay buses so that they can see that the bus has left the yard, the bus has left the school, the bus is on its way and that really helps them have a sense of knowledge of where their students are and where they need to be and everything is going well.

Mary Ann Balfour:
And some of the background information that we really focus on in the mornings and throughout the day is you know obviously we have a lot of buses and they're not always running smoothly. If a bus breaks down, switches to a spare bus, that's where I try to focus and concentrate and the communication between driver and myself to be able to enter that spare so that it's kind of seamless for the parents. They don't need to enter a spare bus number in order to track the bus number. It automatically, if I'm alerted, I'm able to put it in and they won't even know the difference.

Paul Bergera;
And it's really neat because the coordination between the drivers and Deb, I hear it on the radio all the time and they're getting very good at telling her “Hey, I’m in a spare bus”, she does her magic and parents have no idea. The kids can realize there's a different bus coming but the parents would have no idea that there's a change in their service delivery.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're able to switch things so that they're not tracking the wrong bus. They're tracking the bus that's actually coming to serve their students. That's tremendous that you're able to do that.

Debbie McKinlay:
It's really nice. You know, occasionally there's a hiccup, there might be something that breaks down and that lack of communication. That's not the number one priority on the driver's mind, it's safety and get the kids to school on time. So we kind of keep our ears open between dispatch and myself and service. We try to communicate and say, “okay, this was the spare bus we took out.” So, you know, it's taken a little bit but I think we're starting to work in mesh as a team here and it really is starting to benefit. I mean, everything has a hiccup but for the general people I think it works pretty smooth. And it's very convenient in that wintertime when it's so cold.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, absolutely. Great support to parents and great support to schools. What are some of the issues that you run into when you're troubleshooting with parents? What are some of the common concerns or questions?

Debbie McKinlay:
Honestly, just getting the students set up in the MyView app, sometimes they've registered late so when I get the list and import it into the MyView app, maybe their student's not on that list. So I’ll get “I can't find my students” and I just ask them to give me all their information and I hand put them in and that way occasionally we have a – “I'm not seeing my bus.”

Anthony Godfrey;
Yeah.

Debbie McKinlay:
And, you know, we have to troubleshoot that GPS system and say, okay, why is it not tracking?

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Debbie McKinlay:
We have a couple of buses that have come in and we have to troubleshoot and work it out. That's the two things mostly.

Anthony Godfrey:
But most of the time it's just getting set up and making sure that they're in. Once they're in then it works pretty smoothly.

Debbie McKinlay:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, the reason that parents have to enter in two numbers, the number for the zone and the number for the student is so that only the parents of a student on that bus can track that bus's location. Tell me a little bit more about that.

Debbie McKinlay:
So those two layers of security, if the parent needs someone else to track the bus, a nanny, a babysitter, they can give that information to the nanny and help them set up that connection.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the parent can share that number but we don't share it with anyone but the parent.

Debbie McKinlay:
That's correct. In fact, I don't even provide the numbers. They need to go to the school and get the number if they don't know where to get it. I don't know if they're a parent or not. And so I tell them to go to the source to get that number.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you don't give them numbers?

Debbie McKinlay:
Nope.

Anthony Godfrey:
You don't know who's on the other end of the line or who's emailing you.

Debbie McKinlay:
That's correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
But you give them instructions on how to find it themselves.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great level of security and peace of mind.

Debbie McKinlay:
That's correct.

Paul Bergera:
And that truly was part of the objective when this was first decided. It was very important to Cabinet that there was that layer of security. We piloted it in spring of 2022 at three schools, kind of an elementary, a middle, and a high school that feed into each other. That seemed to work out really well. Then when it came time to launch in fall of 2022, we did make sure that it did go through legal counsel and other added measures to ensure confidentiality and safety, and security.

Anthony Godfrey:
And with two years under our belts, it's worked well and it's benefiting a lot of families. Hopefully, those listening can download it and benefit as well.

Paul Bergera:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me about the three of you. How long have you each been in transportation? And what are some of the things that you've done here? Mary Anne, you're kind of laughing. Are you the elder statesman here?

Mary Anne Balfour:
No, I'm the nanosecond.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? How long have you been in transportation?

Mary Anne Balfour:
This is my second year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Second year. Okay. Great. And how about for you?

Debbie McKinlay;
I've actually been here for almost 14.

Anthony Godfrey:
Almost 14.

Debbie McKinlay:
And I take care of all of the external systems that don't come with the buses. I help with the camera systems and I am over the GPS system. We help with the dispatch technology and, of course, anything that comes with MyView. So we're kind of a catch-all department. If they need something, we try to figure it out for everyone.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And Paul?

Paul Bergera:
I've been here for five years. So I've been a teacher and a principal in the district and have made my way to transportation and have not looked back. I really enjoy being out here. We've done some very innovative things. I believe in the past several years, Zonar MyView Parent App is one thing. We would also encourage parents to make sure that they're on Parent Square because the Zonar MyView Parent App is one way to communicate with parents where their bus is. Parent Square is another way that allows us to give information to parents the morning of or the week of just to make sure that they have as much information as they can that may impact their student's busing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, Parent Square is new this year, so we keep adding measures to try to communicate more and more effectively with parents. Thanks for everything the three of you are doing to help make sure that goes smoothly and good luck out there.

Paul Bergera:
Thank you.

Mary Anne Balfour:
Oh, you're welcome. Thanks.

Debbie McKinlay:
Thanks for having us.

Paul Bergera:
Thank you.

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