Supercast

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Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They will be rolling out the red carpet at Bingham High School as drama students star in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Because of COVID, a stage version of the play was replaced by students filming all the scenes for a big screen production. On this episode of the Supercast, we find out what it was like for students filming Shakespeare and trading a live stage for the big screen. We caught up with the cast as they were filming a scene in the greenhouse at Bingham High.

"Grating so harshly all his days of quiet with turbulent, dangerous lunacy? He does confess he feels himself distracted. But from what cause he will by no means speak. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded, but with a crafty madness, keeps aloof when we would bring him on to some confession of his state. Did he receive you well? Most like a gentlemen. But with much forcing of his disposition. 'Tis most true, and he beseeched me to entreat your Majesties to hear and see the matter.  With all my heart, and it doth much content me to hear him so inclined.  Good gentlemen, give him a further edge and drive his purpose into these delights."

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here outside the green house at Bingham High School to talk with Mr. Purdy about a project he's doing with his theater students. Mr. Purdy, thanks for joining us.

Teacher:
Yeah, absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us a little bit about what you're working on.

Teacher:
So we are taking Shakespeare's Hamlet and turning it into a film. So the students help out the production assistant, camera stuff, lighting and then just all the theater students are auditioned and they got in the film and it's just a new experience for them. Film acting. It's a completely different thing than theater.

Anthony Godfrey:
So is this a film adaptation in order to kind of cope with the impact that the pandemic has on your ability to perform live?

Teacher:
Yes, exactly. That was the whole thought behind it is. How can we do something creatively and in a new way, still give the students a really good experience, having them learn something new.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you said that film acting and stage acting are different. What are the different approaches that students have to learn when they are acting on film as opposed to on stage?

Teacher:
Well, first of all, on stage they have to be huge all the time. Just really big, big facial expressions, big movement. The closer the camera is, the more you have to get rid of that. It's all about honesty and subtlety and just being real. So the big stuff doesn't work unless the camera's really, really far away. The big thing though, that's changed for them is that they get very little rehearsal time because we have to shoot. We have to rehearse a little bit and shoot every week and edit as we go along. So they don't get very much rehearsal and they have to memorize way, way faster. So it's a big learning curve, but they're doing an amazing job

Anthony Godfrey:
And memorizing Shakespeare presents a special challenge. But it's also very valuable to do that level of work. Why Hamlet?

Teacher:
Well, my favorite thing to direct is Shakespeare. I'm super passionate about Shakespeare and Hamlet. I don't know, for one thing, Hamlet just something I've always been afraid to do. But since I was throwing so much on the kids, I've always wanted to do Hamlet, I thought, let's just really go for it and do the big one, right? The vague Hamlet. That's, I just feel like it, there's some themes and such that are helpful maybe as you consider at this time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Shakespeare, I love Hamlet and actually, I'm here to audition for the part of Yorick. You think I could get that?

Teacher:
Do you want me to give you the real answer?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Teacher:
Yeah. I think you, I think you could pull it off but not because you look like a skull.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Teachers:
I just think you've got it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I just thaught if I went for Yorick, maybe I can get there. Maybe that can happen for me. It's, you know, there are no small parts, right? Just small actors and I don't intend to be a small actor. I intend to make the most of Yorick's part.

Teacher:
Okay. You got it. From what I can see so far, you've got the role.

Anthony Godfrey:
See, I love this. This feels very validating. Okay, now tell me, you said that Shakespeare is one of the things you most like to direct. What is it that you like about directing Shakespeare?

Teacher:
Well, I love the language and the poetry. But probably the thing I love the most is that you can take these amazing stories, you can set them anywhere. You can do anything with them. For one thing, they are public domain, so you can kind of change it up, shake it up and Shakespeare can't do anything about it. But also I think that he would love the fact that his work continues on and on and on for so many years because you can do so much with it. For example, this one, we're setting it modern in our world. Our own modern world with Shakespeare's Hamlet as a documentary filmmaker. And he decides to use that skill and the camera to document what's going on in order to avenge his father and things like that. So I just love the possibilities with Shakespeare.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you always wanted to layer a new challenge with additional challenges? Being new to the school, a pandemic, let's put the play into a video form and make a film instead, and let's adapt a Hamlet for the modern day. I mean you're taking on a lot of layers of challenges. And I really admire that. Is that just part of the package?

Teacher:
Sometimes I probably get myself into trouble by doing that, but in the end it all works out. And in the end I learned a ton. My students learned a ton because you can't really grow without those challenges. So, yeah, that's just kind of how I am.

Anthony Godfrey:
I hear a crow, and because we're talking about Shakespeare, everything feels like an omen. I feel like something awful that happened to me.

Teacher:
Do we need to knock on wood or what are we doing?

Anthony Godfrey:
I don't know, is there anything we can do? I think we just turn ourselves over the fate.  We'll see what happens. You heard it here first. Tell me what are the outcomes that you hope for from this experience for students?

Teacher:
Well, I want them to gain a new skill, for one thing. There are  so many opportunities in film for careers. And so I've felt like that's just another tool in their belt. My goal for Shakespeare all the time is that the students are going to come away with a greater appreciation for the past and that language and that history, because there's so much history. And when you do a Shakespeare piece, I just feel like they're going to be more well-rounded and hopefully they'll gain some maturity through all the challenges, right? And they'll come at their work in their futures, in their acting work, a little bit more mature, a little bit more disciplined. So it's all about growth for me in watching the students gain new skills.

Anthony Godfrey:
They will be more versatile, and there'll be ready for any challenge. If you can do modern day Hamlet on film as a high school student, there are a lot of skills that are going to transfer to other projects. We pulled you out of the greenhouse where the filming is taking place. So tell me why in a greenhouse, why this setting?

Teacher:
Well, these are the garden scenes. There are four or five gardens scenes to be at the shoot this weekend. And we came in this location and it's really cool. It's old. And it's got a really cool lighting. But this is the scene where Hamlet, well the scene we're doing tomorrow, this one leads into that and it's "to be, or not to be". But the big "to be or not to be" scene and "get thee to a nunnery" scene. And so that's all happening in the greenhouse. So it's a new way to do that scene. It's exciting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I do love a Hamlet. I love Shakespeare. Ethan Hawke did a Shakespeare in Manhattan, the modern day, didn't he? And yeah, there are a lot of different adaptations. So I look forward to seeing yours.

Teacher:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you for being with us. When we come back, "To be or not to be, that is the question"< more on Bingham High's film adaptation of Hamlet and when you can see these students on the big screen.

Break:
If you're ready to start your child on the path to personalized learning, we are ready to help the Jordan Virtual Learning Academy. It's coming to Jordan School District in the 2021-22 school year. Three new schools will be opening as part of the Academy: Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and Kings Peak High School. Each school will have their own principal and teachers, and each will give students a choice in their own learning. The schools will offer synchronous learning, which is teachers providing real time, live online instruction and asynchronous learning, where teachers provide videotape instruction for learning on a student's schedule. To register your student in the Jordan Virtual Learning Academy, visit http://connect.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. We're here with the young man playing Hamlet here in Bingham High School film production of the play. Tell me your name please.

Student:
Hi, I'm Jason Thompson.

Anthony Godfrey:
You auditioned for the part of Hamlet, of course. And are you excited to be doing it on film as opposed to stage?

Student:
Honestly, doing it in film, it's a new experience for me and for many of the other actors, and it's just, it's so cool. I've never had this experience and I'm having so much fun with it. And thank you to Mr. Purdy for setting this up, so we're able to do this. I am excited about it, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, it was really clear that he was willing to take risks and do some maybe uncomfortable things, to be sure, that this worked out and that you had this opportunity. What does that mean to you to have him do that?

Student:
So he is a new teacher this year. So I haven't really known him for very long, but him being able to take risks for us to be able to pursue our passion in a time that is just kind of sucky. Like, it would be really hard for people to pursue art right now in the way that we portray it. Him going out there and saying that he is willing to take these risks and do these things. It just means a lot to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know the impact. I was in productions in high school and you make friends and you stay really close because you spent a lot of time together. Are you finding that with film production like you have with stage production?

Student:
Yeah, I would say so. There's some people that I have worked with before and making friends is part of the whole experience. And these people, we've just become closer and tighter as a group. And I'm so thankful for them as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is it about Hamlet that interests you as a character?

Student:
Ooh, it's really complicated. I've never played a crazy character and there's so many different details throughout the script that are really dynamic. He's just such a weird character. Learning how to do this character has been really tough.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is it that's challenging about the Shakespearian language?

Student:
Ooh, so it's an older dialect and that makes it harder because we don't normally speak that way and they use different words that we don't usually use. I was just going through my script yesterday finding the hard words and learning what they mean. I didn't know this before, but apparently, aught means anything at all because one of my lines is "No, not I. I never gave you aught". And what that's saying is no, I didn't ever give you anything.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does that mean that you kind of slipped into this now in common conversation and your mom might say you left all this on the floor and you say I left aught on the floor mother?

Student:
I can't say I've slipped into it, but it's definitely coming easier to me now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, I think, I think that might happen. I think you never know. You could start speaking in soliloquies. Maybe iambic pentameter will just become irresistible to you.

Student:
I'm excited for that. I think that'd be really funny.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does, what other involvement have you had in theater?

Student:
So I've been doing theater since 2013. I was 10 years old. That's a long time ago. I've done musicals all the way up and this is my first straight play. I've been in one acts and those aren't musicals, not usually, but doing a play is a different experience and doing it like this, it's an even different experience than I ever even imagined. But here at Bingham specifically, I've been in both musicals that have been done during my time here. So Singing in the Rain and Children of Eden. I've been in both of those. I've auditioned for the plays, but haven't made it in until this year and I'm Hamlet now. So that's pretty cool, I guess.

Anthony:
Hamlet is pretty cool. It's a big role. Do you feel the weight of responsibility to play Hamlet when so many greats have played him in the past?

Student:
Definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Not until I asked that question.

Student:
No, I really have. I've never been the main part, right? t's a huge responsibility and I want to take it. I want to make this play the best I can make it and do my part so that I can make my fellow actors look good. I don't want to be the reason that the whole show flops.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you make a good point that they call it the lead for a reason because the way that you devote yourself to it really will be reflected throughout the production.

Student:
Oh, how so. I would like to say that it's not going to be bad. It's going to be fantastic.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have no doubt that it will be fantastic. Well I just have a bit of advice. "To thine own self be true." I'm just saying that, you know. I heard that somewhere. Although you're used to musicals, this is at least lyrical.

Student:
Yeah. Oh, I have noticed that I've been. I be going through my lines and you know, with iambic pentameter, you can feel the beats in some of the lines. Sometimes you want to go with it, but other times you want to break it, you know, because you still want it to come out naturally. And sometimes iambic pentameter doesn't sound very natural.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, we can become a little sing songy, but anyone with a heartbeat can connect with iambic pentameter.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That is a good way to say it. Like you can connect to the lines easier. Let's Hear your "To be or not to be".

Student:
Okay. The pressure's on. "To be, or not to be? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end to them."

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I think you sold me on "arms against a sea of troubles". I think that's what I'm going to go with. I like it. Hey, great job. It's great talking with you.

Student:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you would like to see Bingham High's Hamlet production, public screenings will be held on May 27th and May 28th at 7:00 PM in the Copper Pit at Bingham. Admission is free, but they will be asking for a $2 donation.

Thanks for joining us on the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

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Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. One student traveled more than 7,000 miles from Hong Kong and another 5,400 miles from Spain to have the experience of a lifetime living in Utah and going to school in Jordan School District. On this episode of the Supercast, we hear the fascinating stories of two Bingham High School students participating in the Foreign Exchange Program. Find out how the experience has changed their lives and what they grew to love about Utah and their time in the United States. We are here in the Alumni Room at Bingham High School to speak with two of our foreign exchange students here in Jordan School District. Jordan School District supported a large number of students who had been scheduled to come here and attend school with us. And despite the pandemic, we were able to make things work. There were some cuts in funding at the State level, but we were excited to still offer a spot for some students to live here and learn here. So we're excited to get to know them and I'll let them introduce themselves. Let's start with you, Kenny.

Student:
My name is Kenny and I'm from Hong Kong. I'm 16.

Student:
My name is Sophia and I'm from Spain and I'm also 16 years old.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then we have Heather Ellis here from Bingham High School. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Teacher:
Hi, I'm Heather. I teach German and Spanish here and I was an exchange student myself in Spain, Chile and Germany throughout the years. So that's why I teach foreign languages and like to be involved with exchange students.

Anthony Godfrey:
And as I said, I'm Anthony Godfrey, the Superintendent. And I actually lived in France for a year. It wasn't a foreign exchange thing, but my dad taught French here and we exchanged homes and jobs with an English teacher in France. So I lived in France when I was in sixth grade and my whole family moved over there. So we've all had an experience like this. Tell me what surprised you most about school when you got here.

Student:
Americans in Spain, we just stayed in the same class and the teachers are the ones that came to your class. So you're always with the same people. So my class, my friends in school, I have been with them for like 9-10 years, maybe 12. I don't know. But you got super close because you spend the whole day with them. But it's so fun that here you change classes every hour and you have eight different classes with completely different people and you get to know a lot of people. Also, in Spain, the schools are more studies and then you get out and then you go do whatever you like. But here you can do both. You can study and then if you like playing soccer, you play soccer in the school team. And it's all this team work or spirit. That is something I think is really cool.  I really like it.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like you've had a great experience here at Bingham.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. How about for you, Kenny? What surprised you most about school here in the States?

Student:
What surprised me most is no uniform. In Hong Kong, we have to wear a uniform everywhere at school, but here we just have to wear your casual clothes. Also in Hong Kong, we can't change. We can't choose our class. We can choose our subject, but here we can just take any subjects. They have a lot of subjects I can choose from. And same as Sophia said, I can be in different classes and I can see different people in classes in here.

Anthony Godfrey:
What surprised you about Utah itself when you got here?

Student:
So when they told me I was coming to Utah, I heard about it, but I didn't even know where that is. And then I came here and now I'm in love with Utah. I love Utah. I would live here. When I'm older, I would love, love to live here. And the people in here are super nice. I love Utah. Everything is so cool in here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great! Kenny, you can be honest with me.

Student:
I like Utah here and before I came here, I know Utah because I always watch NBA games, Utah Jazz. I get to watch Utah Jazz later this weekend. So I'm excited.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are you going to a game?

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's fantastic.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So for an NBA fan to be in Utah and get to go to a game is great! I see, for those listening at home, you're wearing a Jazz hoodie. So actually you have adopted the uniform of the high school student in Utah with a Jazz hoodie. So to be a Jazz fan and get to come to Utah, that's pretty exciting.

Student:
Yeah. Yeah. It's really exciting. And here, all of the people are so good and so nice. And the weather here, it's a little bit dry for me and that's strange for me. It's a little bit dry and it's so cold. Winter in Hong Kong, we don't like have a super cold winter, but here with 30 degrees , I'm like, oh my, I don't know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just so everyone knows, after Kenny said the word cold, he put his hands up in his sleeves and then he rubbed them together because he instantly got cold just thinking about it. So at least things will be warmer and more humid for you when you go back to Hong Kong. All right. Now tell me what you're going to miss about America when you return home.

Student:
I will miss my friends and my host family, because I've had a really good experience. I made good memories with them.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you?

Student:
I would say also my friends that I made here. The basketball team here, and then the high school is so different to Spain. I love coming to school here. Every morning when my host brothers say, Oh yeah, we have like a wake up. I'm like, no, I want to go to school. And they're like, you're so weird. It's so fun. You have to come. And it's not even as hard as Spain. You still learn a lot, but the methods they use in Spain are harder. You can hear and it's like fun. And you get to do the fun stuff at the high school. And then my basketball team, my friends, and then my host family. I'm really, really close to the mom. I'm super close to her. And then everyone in the family is so nice. I'm going to miss them a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
You both talked about missing your host family and the friends that you've made here. Do you have plans on keeping in touch with them?

Student:
So I really wanted to stay another year here because I'm a sophomore. I wanted to come back for junior year, but then I talked with my family in Spain and they also miss me a lot. So they said, I think it's better if you just come here for junior year and then maybe we can see if you can go back for senior year. And I talked with the family and they said we asked them. So if I come back, I will go with back with them. And then I also told my friends and they said I should come back for junior year. But my family misses me, so they said, well then, senior year. So  I will just Facetime them all the time on, keep in touch with social media and all that stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
There are a lot of good methods for keeping in touch. Are you planning on having them come to Spain perhaps?

Student:
Well, yeah, I also said that they were coming to spend some time, so they better.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. I would say so too. How about you, Kenny? What plans do you have?

Student:
Oh, I don't have any sense yet. My host family is telling me that they will like come to Hong Kong sometimes and I will come to you sometimes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the things that you've missed since you've been here in the States about Hong Kong?

Student:
For example, is there food, noodles, rice noodles and our Hong Kong food .

Anthony Godfrey:
Kenny, is there any place here that has rice noodles that you would endorse that you say are worth eating that have maybe felt a little bit like home?

Student:
Never been into a real Chinese restaurant. But I think I have been to, I forgot the name. Panda Express.

Anthony Godfrey:
So  you're endorsing Panda Express right now as a little taste of home. Is that right?

Student:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Kenny, you're full of surprises here.  I'm going to grab myself some orange chicken on the way home. That sounds good. Sophia. How about you? What do you miss for about Spain?

Student:
I mostly miss my family, my little sister and my brother. I also miss my friends, but when you're living here, it's just like you don't get to actually realize, so you don't miss them as bad as you will think you miss them. I mean, you still miss them and it's hard sometimes. On some days I wish I was in a Spain right now, but I don't know. I really miss my family and my friends. And then food probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm going to ask you the same question I asked Kenny and you're not going to tell me some restaurant that I've normally eaten at.

Speaker 2:
Okay, thank you. And your restaurant, like with actual Spanish food. One time I tried to made a Spanish meal here and it didn't go really well either. So I really miss it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So tell me about that experience a little bit.

Student:
So there's a typical meal and a Spain named frittata. And it's kind of like potatoes on eggs, but it's all together. And I tried to do it one time, but it didn't really work. It didn't taste really good. I mean, it was okay, but it wasn't the best.

Anthony Godfrey:
The potatoes need to be grown in Spain for it really to work. Is that right? Okay. So food and family and friends, that's pretty much what you guys are missing. Is that right?

Students:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you miss food from Hong Kong and Spain. What food are you going to miss from America? Corn dogs, fry sauce, Cafe Rio. What are you going to miss?

Student"
That's hard to choose.

Anthony Godfrey:
Come on Kenny. We great food here. Something you're going to miss.

Probably ham.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ham? So is ham not a part of the scene in Hong Kong?

Student:
No, we eat ham in Hong Kong like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. You liked the bone in the ham, like the big time holiday ham?

Student:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Are you going to have lots of spiral cut honey baked before you go?

Student:
Yeah. I'll ask my host family to do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a really good idea. Okay. Sophia, how about you?

Student:
Well, I'm probably going to be sweets because we don't have those kind places in Spain. My family loves sweets. So I'll miss that. And then also my host mom cooks really good. So I'm going to miss that.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're just going to miss that home cooking.

Student:
I love Chick-fil-A and we don't have Chick-fil-A in Spain. It's like probably my favorite one. And then In and Out probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. You are listing off some good stuff. I'm getting very hungry talking with you guys right now. Kenny, are you? I saw you shake your head. Are you a Chick-fil-A, In and Out fan?

Student"
Yeah. I like Chick-Fil-A.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's something special about that peanut oil, isn't it? Oh, you guys can be entrepreneurs. You could start your first Chick-Fil-A in Spain. Kenny, you could get that ham rolling. Just throwing ham sandwiches at lunchtime. You guys will be millionaires.
Okay. So let's talk with Ms. Ellis about her experience. You lived in Spain as a foreign exchange student?

Teacher:
My junior year of high school in Spain.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about that experience, how what impacted your life?

Teacher:
Goodness gracious. It was the thing that most changed my entire life direction. I feel after spending a year in Spain, I knew I wanted to continue learning foreign languages. At that point I knew that I would continue seeing the world, which I have done for the rest of my life. I felt so inspired too by my experience that I wanted to share it with others. And largely, that's why I became a foreign language teacher.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you teach Spanish and German. That's quite a combination.

Teacher:
Yeah. I teach both. As part of my master's program, I actually had to choose a second language in which to become fluent. And I wanted something that was vastly different from Spanish because I wanted to know if I really had a knack for learning a language or if it was just Spanish. So I chose German, largely because my ancestry is very Germanic. And so I went and worked and lived over in Germany and came back and started teaching it.

Anthony Godfrey:
How fortunate to spend significant time in three different countries. I've come to understand that learning a third language, your second language interferes more with that learning than your first language sometimes. Was that your experience, you compare the German to Spanish a lot as you're learning?

Teacher:
Yes. Luckily I don't do that anymore at all, but yes I did. And I do like, we try to go, except for COVID, obviously, to Germany and Spain every year. So usually we spend about a month, every summer over there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. That's fantastic. So that type of dedication, then it gets refreshed. I went to France a couple of years ago. And even though I lived there, it fades. And then when you get there, it sharpens right back up. So Sophia, I think your Spanish will come back to you quickly.

Student:
You feel like you've lost a little bit of it. Yeah. And then also, I'm from the North. So I speak Basque because I live in the Basque country and I'm going to be lost next year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Teach me some Basque slang.

Student:
Eskerrik asko. That means thank you. Yeah, that's pretty good. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that has a nice ring to it. I like that. My favorite word in, I have two favorite words in French. They're both names are fruits. One is pamplemousse, which is grapefruit and l'ananas, which is pineapple.

Student:
Yeah. I also know a little bit of French, a little bit.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you? Kenny, teach me a favorite word of yours.

Student:
Cantonese? Do1 Ze6, that's mean thank you.

Anthony Godfrey
Okay. Yeah. Did I do okay?

Student:
Yeah. Gotcha.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this turned into a career for you.

Teacher:
Yeah, it did. Honestly I was planning on going to law school and I was studying for the LSAT and at the time the principal contacted my university, and asked who the best masters candidate was to come and start teaching. And the Dean gave them my name. And I said, okay, I'll come do it for a year. And I've been here ever since.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's really amazing how these experiences, when you look back, you don't realize what a crossroads it is at the time, and you look back and it's a life changing moment. And do you think that living in another country and learning another language helps you empathize with others and maybe connect with people in a different way?

Teacher:
Absolutely. On every level.  I don't think you can furthermore, truly understand the culture or people truly, unless you speak the language, you can understand a portion, a depth, but not that profound of a depth, unless you are fluent in the language. But that can start now. I mean, the immersion programs that we have are fantastic opportunities as districts. So I think that we need to keep it going and highlight the importance.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. It's, it's been a real emphasis for us, and I'm excited that we have that opportunity available for students. All right. Let's talk about the English language. What are some of, do you have a favorite word in the English language or a slang that you learned?

Student:
I like no cap.

Anthony Godfrey:
No cap. That's good.

Student:
And low key.

Anthony Godfrey:
No cap and low key. Okay. How about you, Kenny?

Student:
I don't have a specific word for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know that this is an old word now, but I really like ruining words for my son when he was in high school. And I say, man, that is so lit. It's extremely lit. And then all of a sudden he can't use it anymore because I have taken possession of it.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
When we come back, advice for students considering being part of the Foreign exchange Program.

Break:
It is one of the most prestigious academic achievement programs available for high school students. And we're proud to say it's coming back to the Jordan School District. We're talking about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which will be located at West Jordan High School. The IB Program supports academic achievement for students at the very highest level. IB diploma courses are taken during a student's junior and senior year in high school. All students are invited to consider the IB program for next year. There are no prerequisite for IB and interested students in the middle school can start preparing now. Students with the IB diploma have a better chance at getting into some of the most prestigious universities in the world. For more information or to find out if your teen is a good candidate for IB visit http://ib.jordandistrict.org, or call West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are the middle of April. How does it feel that your time in America is drawing close to an end?

Student:
For me, it's like a thing that is kind of sad because of the pandemic going and we can't do anything. We have like lots of things like your friends. But I still enjoy to being in United State here and Utah and being a foreign exchange student to learn English and learn their culture.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you Sophia?

Student:Well, it's kind of sad. It's almost over. It goes by so fast and you never actually realize that you're here and that you're leaving here. I have already been here for eight months and it's kind of sad, but at the same time, I'm kinda excited to be with my family and friends again. But I'm basically really sad to leave.

Anthony Godfrey:
How much have you seen family and friends, not counting Zoom, since you got here in the States?

Student:
I haven't seen them at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's what I thought. I just wanted to be sure. How about you, Kenny?

Student:
No.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's a mix of missing the friends that you've made here, missing the time that you've had in the States, but I'm sure you're very excited to see family and friends again.

Student:
Yeah, of course. In my country, there are my friends and that I'm excited to meet my new friends here also.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ms. Ellis, tell me about the experience for the students here at Bingham. What does it do for them to have foreign exchange students here?

Teacher:
I feel like these students opened the world to our students as well. Cultures and countries, perhaps that these students have never even heard of, quite frankly. Some of the countries being very, very small. We've had kids before come from Tunisia, for example, and our students hadn't heard of that country. And so from then on, they will associate that country with that student ambassador who represented that country. And the kids who come over are such great kids. Our students can learn so much about their languages, their cultures, and then inevitably they will, a lot of them, go over and visit their friends in the future and can keep those connections and bridges alive and have a continued interest in visiting the world after that. I really feel like it opens our own students' eyes and it's just something that's so valuable for our kids to have here. And this interaction is awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
The more experiences you can have, the more rich your connection will be with the world. What advice would you give to anyone who's thinking about being a foreign exchange student or having their child be a foreign exchange student? What advice would you give them?

Teacher:
I would say that you need to get rid of any expectations you might have about your experience and be open to whatever might happen. Whatever type of situation you might find yourself in, accept it and embrace it. And also, if there are opportunities available to you that are legal or appropriate, to take advantage of them, to not let any opportunity slip by, because this opportunity in high school of being exchanged only comes around once typically. For most people, it happens just once in high school. So I would say grab it if it's at all of interest, to grab it. There are lots of us who can help you look into different programs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you, Sophia. What advice would you give?

Student:
I would say that if you have the opportunity to go, whether if it's like the United States or for even Ireland or England, I would say, just go for it. It's hard to think about it at first, because you're  going to a whole other country. You don't know anyone. Maybe you're not that fluent in the language. You're scared. You're going to leave your family and friends and all that stuff. But it's the best experience you will ever have. And you kind of grow, you actually grow as a person. You get to be a better person. You just change a lot, for good. And it's the best experience ever.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Thank you, Kenny.

Student:
I think you had to be open-minded when you come here, because you will meet a lot of people in here that you don't know, and you are speaking a completely different language and you came here and you will like meet a lot of people and know each other. You have to be aggressive.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Yeah. You have to be willing to work to get to know people and get to learn the language. Like you said, Sophia, and by the way, I have to say, I am so impressed with each of you. You speak very well at no cap. And did I use that right?
Okay, good. All right. But you guys are awesome. It's been a real pleasure talking with all of you. I'm so glad to hear Ms. Ellis, with your experience and being able to ignite that interest in other cultures in our students here at Bingham. So thanks for spending the time and I wish you safe travels and lots of Chick-fil-A in your future.

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you after.

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Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They have talents beyond their years and these student artists are getting the opportunity to display their works of art during a districtwide art show. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the West Jordan City Library, where the art show was taking place. There you will find some incredible middle and high school student artwork featuring everything from paintings and drawings to sculptures and photography. The pieces are unique and colorful, all created by our very own Jordan School District student artists.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at the Viridian at the West Jordan Library with Norm Emerson, the Fine Arts Consultant for Jordan School District. And we're here among many great works of art from Jordan School District students. Tell me about this.

Norm Emerson:
Well, all year long, these students have been preparing. We talked to the teachers at the very beginning of the school year about the dates and the different categories that we have for the show. We have a 2d, a 3d and a photography category. And so throughout the school year, these students are just working hard and producing these works of art. And then each school has given an allocation of how many entries they can submit for the art show. And so, really what's represented here is really the cream of the crop. And so the teacher submit these items and then we bring into professional artists to judge. And they do so and they select a Best in Show in the three categories in 2d, 3d, and photography, and then a number of Awards of Merit and Honorable Mention.  So altogether we've had close to 80 entries.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's exciting to be able to showcase student artwork like this.

Norm Emerson:
Yes, for sure. And not only is it exciting for us. As we've been setting up the art show, and I've had it up for a few days, we've seen many members of the community come over and spend a lot of time really enjoying these works of art and reading the students statements that they've written. Each work has a label where the students have had a chance to write an artist statement. And I think it's a good thing for us, you know, for the opportunity for the students. I think it's a good thing for the library and the community as well. And we appreciate the library for hosting it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've always looked forward to these shows and I'm always amazed at the level of creativity. But even more than that, the level of skill that students have. It's really remarkable to be a teenager and to have this level of ability.

Norm Emerson:
Well, exactly. I think that's a tribute to the amazing, really just dedicated, skilled teachers that we have. And then of course, the hard work and dedication of these students, many of whom are, or even thinking of having a career in the arts at this point. A lot of these students have entered their work in the Springville Arts Museum Show, which is a very prestigious show through the Springville Arts Museum and have had their work recognized there. And so, what we're hoping for is that these students will truly recognize their talents and whether or not they go on to a career in the arts, or just have it as a way to enrich their lives. We're just really pretty amazed by the work that they do.

Anthony Godfrey:
A great career, a great hobby, whatever they choose. There's a lot to be gained from having an artistic and creative aspect to life.

Norm Emerson:
Well, that's right. I think it's been interesting over the last year. I know a lot of friends and family members personally that throughout the course of the shutdown and the time that we were all in quarantine, many of them turned to the arts throughout that time. And many of them turned to the visual arts. And so I think that they do have a really critically important role in our lives. And yes,  think it's important what they're involved in.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Well, thank you very much for everything you do to support students. You're right. We have tremendous teachers who spark that creativity and help provide those skills and, and students were working really hard and I'm excited to talk with them and see their works of art. So thanks again for all you do to help support them.

Norm Emerson:
Thanks for coming and thanks for supporting the program and supporting these credit kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Before we talk about individual pieces of art, we're here with the five students from Jordan School District, just to talk with them about art. And then we'll take a look at each of their individual pieces. How many of you are considering a career in the arts? All right. A couple of you.

Student:
I would definitely love to pursue a career in art. I just have not decided exactly what art career I'd be doing, if that be concept art or fine art. But yes, I would definitely like to be able to try it, especially with the success I've had recently. I think it would be really good for me.

Student:
Yes, definitely something that I want to do. A dream job, National Geographic, of course, the photo journalist, but that's definitely far down the line.

Anthony Godfrey:
For those of you who don't view it as a career, is it a hobby that you think you'll continue throughout your life?

Student:
Yeah, absolutely. My dad recently built a shop in our backyard, and I think that I want to buy myself a kiln, buy myself a wheel too, to keep working on my ceramics.

Student:
I'm definitely going to continue painting or drawing or doing whatever artistically, no matter where I am or how old I get. I do want to consider minoring in art or visual arts in college. B

ut for sure, I'm going to keep doing it as a hobby. It's just something that I can do to relax or get my mind off of other stuff. And I can just make something that other people would also like appreciate and just have fun seeing.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you?

Student:
I see this more as a lifestyle choice. I hope one day to open up a pottery studio so I can share my interests and hobbies with other people who would be interested in learning how to create these ceramic pieces.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Does anyone have a family member that kind of inspired you to get involved in art?

Student:
I actually have an older sister who majored in illustration and she's taught me a lot about like fine art and digital art. So she has kind of introduced me to lots of parts of the art world, I guess.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Stay with us when we come back, more with our student artists and the information about how you can see some of this artwork for yourself.

Break:
It is one of the most prestigious academic achievement programs available for high school students. And we're proud to say it's coming back to Jordan School District. We're talking about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which will be located at West Jordan High School. The IB Program supports personal and academic achievement for students at the very highest level. IB diploma courses take place during a student's junior and senior year in high school. All sophomores are invited to consider the IB program for next year. There are no prerequisites for IB and interested middle school students can start preparing now. Students with the IB diploma have a better chance at getting into some of the most prestigious universities in the world. For more information, or to find out if your team is a good candidate for IB, visit http://ib.jordandistrict.org, or call West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's start with you. Let's go to your piece of art and then we'll I'll track each down. You guys are awesome. Tell me your name.

Student:
My name is Annie Lee.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright. And can you describe for those listening, what I'm looking at? This is really stunning. It's really incredible. The level of skill is really something. Tell me about this painting.

Student:
So the inspiration for this came from my art teacher. She gave us a prompt with a music sheet and it had some lyrics and in it was dessert. So I went with an ice cream and I want it to have some kind of abstract, unrealistic background with it. So it's just all like cotton candy, dessert, things that will give you diabetes if you eat too much of it, theme. But I did this because we have to have a sustained investigation or a question you're trying to answer. So mine is, what happens when two different perspectives collide. So basically if you look at the painting, the ice cream is a very, I wouldn't say hyper-realistic, but it's pretty realistic. And then there's little creatures on it that are 2d, like sticker. So it's just a contrast of when someone's perspective and another one's perspective collide, and they're just different. And you can either choose to embrace it and make it better than it was before, or you can clash and make it bad. It also had a lot of implications on current events like COVID. If you want me to explain, that's like another whole spiel.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, there, there are obviously a lot of layers to the work. This looks great. And I really love the green, one of my favorites. I love the surrealists and this is there's a lot that's surreal about this. The glistening ice cream is really incredible. It really draws you in. It's a berry ice cream and a huge waffle cone. There's chocolate syrup everywhere, cotton candy clouds, a very disturbing moon with a pig jumping over it, plus the 2d stickers you described. I also love the pink and the brown colors. The composition it's just, it's really stunning.

Student:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me your name.

Student:
My name is Amber.

Anthony Godfrey:
Amber. Tell me about this piece of art here.

Student:
So it is an interactive piece. It's supposed to be a self portrait of me. But I made it in a way where the face can split into three different parts with a series of pole strips. Since I've been working with pop-up kind of art, I just integrated that in the art that I'm doing now and underneath the face is a brain made of cogs and wires. And it's got  a bunch of veiny lines going through it to represent the brain passageways and a drug.

Anthony Godfrey:
This this is very compelling. Is this graphite on paper?

Student:
Yeah. So the face is made of graphite and then the brain with the gears and stuff, and it is just all ink.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what inspired you to make this particular piece?

Student:
In my  AP class, I have a driving inquiry and it's about technology and how it affects the mind and body. That's kind of what it is. It's playing with the idea that technology has a drug and it parallels with addiction and normal drugs that people use too.

Anthony Godfrey::
Okay. That's a fascinating theme and you've captured it extremely well. Inside the head, all the gears and the technology, and that really pulls you in, but then there's also this biological thread through it, this red vein or tissue. And now I can pull on this tab at the bottom? Am I supposed to be able to move this? Oh wow, it looks fantastic, and the award of excellence is well-deserved.

Student:
Thank you very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. What's your name?

Student:
My name is Fisher Darton.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, Fisher, tell me about this piece.

Student:
Okay. Well, first, I just started out with a cylinder and then I started to just shape it to whatever my mind could come up with. And then after I finished shaping it, I decided a lid would look nice on it. So this piece ,I wish I could take it out to let you feel, but it's super textured and it feels like rough but smooth at the same time. And it almost feels bubbly and it's thicker on the bottom and then it thins out at the top into a kind of like a bottle. Then it's got a triangular lid with a triangle top on it. And I carved lines into the body, little grooves that you can feel. And then I matched that same design on the lid.

Anthony Godfrey:
It really has an ancient feel to it, like it's been unearthed after many, many years. Is that a look you were going for?

Student:
Yeah, that's exactly what I was going for. I was hoping that the green would turn out more evergreen rather than the seaweed green that it looks, and that the blacks turned out blacker, but this was the look that I was initially going for.

Anthony Godfrey:
As it is, it's a lidded vase, and it looks like a deep purple as opposed to a black and a sage green. And I think it all goes together very well. And like I said, it looks weathered, it looks ancient. And for that reason it looks compelling. Like it holds some sort of secret or something mystical. I think it's really cool.

Student:
Yeah. It definitely looks like it's holding one of my ancestors ashes in it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, for sure. It could hold the ashes of a powerful ancestor I would say, very neatly. What inspired you to do this?

Student:
Really, just my own creative mind. I named this The Outset and it's kind of the outset of my career. This was the first phase where I really pushed myself to try something new. I tried to make the walls as thin as possible, and I tried to just make it look neat. Make it look old, like you said, and I really just wanted to make this one look good.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Thank you very much. Tell me your name.

Student:
Bailey Johnson.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bailey. Tell us about the piece of art that we're looking at here.

Student:
So it's a turtle teapot. We were assigned to make a functioning teapot that had a stopper on the inside, so when you pour it, it has a stopper and the lid won't fall off. I made mine into a green turtle and the tea pours out the mouth. It has little feet on the bottom so that the turtle floats up. Then there's the feet on the sides too. So it has eight feet. It doesn't look like it has eight feet, but it really does it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's really cool. It does look like it's floating and it's head is kind of turned up. It's a pale green, like a seafoam green and the mouth is open. What is going through the turtle's little brain right now?

Student:
There's tea coming out of my mouth. I don't know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why is hot tea coming out of my mouth? That's a good thing for him to be worried about. And I see the ribbon for Best in Show 3d. That's gotta feel pretty good.

Student:
I didn't think I would win really, my art teacher just said, Hey, I'm going to put this in the art show. And I said, okay, whatever. She basically did everything else, but I was really proud of myself when I won. I was so excited and I called my mom to say, Guess what!

Anthony Godfrey
Well, you should be proud. I think it looks really great. And it's going to look great on the shelf for years to come. Thank you very much.

Student:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Tell me your name.

Student:
My name is Dustin West.

Anthony Godfrey:
And so this is a mixed media. Tell me about your piece of art.

Student:
We had a themed project for photography  at the time. And this is my friend, Anthony. It was kind of his idea with this photo.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does this make you want to create more photography like this, with words included on the on the photo.

Student
I think this is just kind of putting in the direction of becoming a photo journalist. So even with words or without words, I feel like  just seeing an image like this, it kind of puts in the viewer's perspective, what comes out of this image and what they should think and what kind of words or feelings that provoke when they see this image.

Anthony Godfrey:
How did you put the words on top? Did you do that electronically? Or how did that work?

Student:
Yeah, so I did the words on his back. I did them in Photoshop, so I can actually paint them on his skin. We didn't have very much time. We were super limited, but in the photo, as you can see there, the knot in it is stitched in there. I did that by hand, but the rest of it is a media like a Photoshop.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the word not is stitching with red thread over the black letters. Is that right?

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what did your friend think when he first saw this piece?

Student:
When he first saw it, he thought it was just  thought provoking is the wording is.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's very compelling. It really draws you in. I like how it shadowy around the edges. And so it really pulls you into the middle and to your friend and then the knot in the center being stitched. I don't know. There are different layers to it, quite literally. And then there's a lot to explore with it. So I really like it.

Student:
It does have a heavy vignette on it. I think that it's just kind of tied together with a black and white picture. Focusing on the wording is what I was trying to go for with the vignette and it being so centered on the wording and his back. And you can still see how his arms are. You can see how he's positioned and you can see the wording and it just kind of makes it a deeper image than it should be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's great. You've done really well with it. It's like I said, a very compelling piece and no surprise that you're Best in Show for photography. So thank you. Great work.

Student:
Thank you. I appreciate that. I didn't even expect to win, but it does feel good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Definitely. Definitely. The works of art will be on display in the lobby of the library during regular hours, April 19th through the 30th is the High School Art Show and the Middle School Art Show will take place from May 10th to the 21st. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

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Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He has been helping students carve out successful futures in a skilled trade for more than 30 years in Jordan School District. On this episode of the Supercast, we go inside Rick Minor's Woodworking classroom at Mountain Ridge High School, where students are learning a valuable skill, crafting everything from beds and chairs to chess sets, wooden spoons and pens. Hi guys, how are you? This looks a little different from the last time I was here and it's full of great projects.

Teacher:
Yeah. These, these kids would like to show you some of these very cool projects that we've got going on. But this, first of all, this is my most advanced class. I call this my Woods III class. These students will almost certainly go into this for an occupation, or they will at least use this to get them to their occupation.

Anthony Godfrey:
They will go out and work in this field while they're getting to their occupation? I see a lot of heads nodding. So I'm going to want to talk with them about that. So glad you're here.

Teacher:
I'm so glad I'm here too.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is awesome. And it smells good in here.

Teacher:
It does. I was going to say that's me, but it's not.

Anthony Godfrey:
What type of wood do you work with?

Teacher:
We work with all types. We work with the oak and alder and cherry and maple and walnut. We just got done shaping up some walnut a few minutes ago, which I think Landon's going to show you. Guys, show him the projects. Let's start there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, let's check it out. Tell me your name.

Student:
Tony.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me what we have here.

Student:
These are pens that I turned on a lathe.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. What are some of the materials you use to make these pens?

Student:
Well, the resin.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. The colorful ones are the resin.

Student:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really something. Wow. So you have obviously different shapes that you do.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Different thickness.

Student:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's amazing.

Student:
I always keep a few from myself.

Anthony Godfrey:
You keep a few for yourself? That's always a good policy. Is that a favorite?

Student:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you have people start to request them once they see that you make things?

Student:
Every once in awhile, but not often.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's awesome. Great job. Whoa, everywhere I turn. There's something else. This is like a Lord of the Rings spoon. Something that was built by Miles right there. Oh, Miles come tell me about this spoon. You could beat back orcs with that spoon I think.

Student:
So it's a five foot spoon, roughly. And I built it out of cherry. I just carved it out and now I'm kind of in the process of sanding it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, this, this cherry spoon. Are you in a large family? Because what I picture is maybe you use this five foot spoon to get a serving of whatever meal is on the table before your brothers and sisters can get to it.

Student:
That is an excellent idea.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is really something. What made you think, you know what, I'm going to make a five foot spoon today?

Student:
You know, I saw everybody build one foot spoons or something like that. It just kind of popped in my mind. What if I build like a five foot spoon from cherry or walnut? And I asked Minor and he approved of the project. I cut it on with the band saw and started carving it with the tools over there on that chair that is set up.

Teacher:
But first you had to plan it using the software.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this involves some software.

Teacher:
Yes. So you can cut this out on the same scene, the bowl of the spoon is cut out on the scene. See, so it's creates a perfect bowl.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is really something. That's really good. This is like an optical illusion cutting board. Who made the heart here?

Student:
I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about this one. What's your name?

Student:
I'm Landon Leveridge.

Anthony Godfrey:
Landon, told me about this heart shaped cutting board. It has all these blocks. It looks like, well, the eighties reference would be kind of a Cubert board with all the 3D squares covering it. That's really something.

Student:
They call it a 3D tumbling pattern and  it's made out of walnut, cherry and maple. And it's not a hard cutting board. It's just, you got to wrap your brain around the pattern of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's incredible. How did you put this together?

Student:
It's a lot of cuts on the table saw on certain degrees and then you kind of glue it all up and it looks like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. So will you actually use it as a cutting board?

Student:
That one would definitely just display. I made two of them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would hate to cut this one up. This one looks really, really nice.

Student:
My mom wanted a heart.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's really nice. So you made it for your mom. Mother's Day gifts for days, right guys? You're ready with that project every time. So you had to cut each individual piece of wood here from three different types of wood. Then you glue it all together or how does that come in?

Student:
You can glue it into strips. And then you glue it together.

Anthony Godfrey:
I didn't see the strip till you pointed it out. It's so nicely done. What's a favorite project that you've ever done?

Student:
My favorite project is probably the bed I'm making.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're making a bed. Well, I made my bed, but not for a few days. A huge headboard. This looks fantastic.

Student:
So this is a full bed. I should have done a queen, but I moved down to the size of my room. So I'm doing a full and I've just made it out of maple and walnut.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would think a man could sleep really well in a bed he made himself.

Student:
Yeah. You get a nice satisfaction from sleeping in it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's really fantastic. Is this the biggest project you've made?

Student:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Tell me your name.

Student:
Bryce Reeser. The project I'm working on right now is one of the rocking chairs. I've made it into a double rocker. So it's like for two people, a double rocker. I've taken one of these chairs and I've doubled the size of it so two people will be able to sit in that.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did you have anyone in particular in mind?

Student:
Yeah, my my mom wanted a bench for our backyard. And so I started looking for benches and then I told her about these rocking chairs and she was like, oh, it'd be kinda cool to have one that could rock. I was like, okay. So I went and talked to Minor and he thought it was a really cool idea to make a double rocker.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think this pattern that when people bring ideas to Minor, he helps make that happen? What's the hardest part of making a rocker?

Student:
I would think kinda like the seat pieces, I think has been the hardest part.

Anthony Godfrey:
How would you describe this, all separate pieces that are lined up parallel to each other to create that seat?

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about this table. First of all, tell me your name.

Student:
I'm Camden Gibbs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Camden. Tell me about this table.

Student:
My first goal was just to make a chess board so I could play chess at home. And then when Minor said look on Pinterest, we found a cool looking Rook like this. And then we were like, I think I could build that. So then we tried, and so far it's working,

Anthony Godfrey:
It looks fantastic. So you've cut different pieces of wood for the various squares on the board. And the board itself wraps around to create a Rook.

Student:
Play when you're ready, have all your pieces, when I'm done with the shelves, there'll be the pieces on the shelf.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think you're going to win every time when you play on a board you made yourself. Isn't that how it works?

Student:
I hope so.

Teacher:
Miles would like to show you how to use this machine. We're actually going to cut out a front leg and kind of have you push the button and let this go. We've already programmed in all the stuff they're going to show you. Lets you put the piece in there. You guys let him do that with a hammer. Show them how to do that. And then we'll knock that out and then we have something else we have going to show you over here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, fantastic. Let's try it out.

Student:
All right. So the CNC is a big part of making the rocking chair. I think around 50% of it is used on the CNC. And so today we're going to just carve a front leg out of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
What kind of wood is this?

Student:
This is oak, two inch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Feels dense. Okay. So this machine is like the size of a van.

Student:
Yes, it's huge. So if you want to just lock and load it into here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. You're going to have to give me a little more information than lock and load.

Student:
So make sure the X is up towards this thing, and then just behind this block here.

Anthony Godfrey:
X is behind the block up like that?

Student:
Just like that, put it up against it and hold it tight.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right? That feel a sense of accomplishment now kind of like I've done something today.

Student:
Next thing that we are going to do is to secure in place, using these wooden blocks and a hammer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Student:
And so what you'll do is just take one piece, just kind of slide it in there. If you want to slide it over, down the back, this will kind of wedge it up against the edge. So it cuts it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Am I supposed to? I'm left-handed. So I can hold it or do I just kind of hold it and bang it in there? Banging in there. Do we know when to stop?

Student:
Okay. And then do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I feel like I'm doing real work. Email does not give this satisfaction.

Student:
So then the next thing is just to make sure it's all nice and squares. We usually take a kind of a piece of scrap and you just put it over the top and then we just kind of use the hammer kind of bang on it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that it's square in every direction or wash rather.

Student:
Alrighty. So then if you want to come over here, then just press this play button, press play.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just press play and we'll start working. All right.

Student:
Yep.  We'll do like six or eight passes passes just to cut all the way through the board. And this piece probably around five, ten minutes to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel to have access to a machine like this?

Student:
It feels great. It definitely relieves a lot of pain and hard work using different machines, making sure it's all right. And human error is a big thing. Of course it eliminates that.

Anthony Godfrey:
How would you have done this without the machine?

Student:
Without this machine? I probably would have used a drill press using a circular bit to cut the two ends out and then used a chisel and carved the rest of it out.

Student:
Now you are done, what we'll do if you just want to press this X button and hold it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That one?

Student:
Yep. Hold it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hold it?

Student:
And so we'll move it down and out of the way. That's good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Student:
So then after that, usually we'll take the vacuum.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, students rock my world with a big surprise, something I was not expecting. Find out what it is.

Break:
If you're ready to start your child on the path to personalized learning, we are ready to help. The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is coming to Jordan School District in the 2012-22 school year. Three new schools will be opening as part of the Academy, Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and Kings Peak High School. Each school will have their own principal and teachers and each will give students a choice in their own learning. The schools will offer synchronous learning, which is teachers providing real time, live online instruction and asynchronous learning where teachers provide videotaped instruction for learning on a student's schedule. To register your students in the Jordan Virtual Learning Academy, visit http://connect.jordandistrict.org.

Teacher:
Last month, the month of February was CTE month.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Teacher:
And this class, we celebrated that and we all kind of collaborated on a project. We'd like to show you that project right now. Could you guys kind of head over there and maybe show that down?

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's check it out.

Teacher:
So everyone here actually participated in the bid, the construction of this, everybody took part of that. Parker would go ahead and pull that off?

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Teacher:
These students built you a rocking chair and we want you to take that home or use it in your office. And we'll actually pull that down. We won't make you get in to it while it's on the table, but we'll pull it down on the floor and let you sit on that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I don't know what to say. I'm so thrilled. Thank you guys so much. I have nothing like this at all. I will use that every day. That is fantastic. Thank you so much. That means so much to me. This is the first time students have made a project for me. So thank you so much.

Teacher:
Take that down and let him set in that.

Anthony Godfrey:
High School Woodworking III students, 2021. Thank you for being super. Oh, thank you so much. You guys, this means the world. Wow. Okay. I'm going to sit in it. Oh, that's awesome. My inbox just went completely out of my head.

Teacher:
Is there any way you could sit in that chair and we could take a picture with you with all these students around it?

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh absolutely, I'd love to do that. Thank you guys so much. That is so kind. Wow. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the making of my rocking chair.

Student:
So the making, it was a whole month project. All of us have participated in some way using the CNC. As I said earlier, as a big part of it, around 50%. Sanding is another big thing, making sure all the edges, all the flat surface contact surfaces are soft. Nice to sit in, nice to touch. And then just making sure once again, mathematics, everything is at the correct width. Nothing's out of square and everything is normal.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's so sturdy. It's beautiful. The wood is absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't be happier. It's hard for me to be speechless and I'm speechless. This will go to great use, I promise you that. Wow. Thank you.

Teacher:
I don't know if you have a front porch or if you have a front porch that will go great on your front porch.

Anthony Godfrey:
I just moved and I have no, I have no furniture on my front porch and I was even shopping for something that rocks the other day. I'm not even kidding you. So this is where I'm going to work from home. And I do a lot of that. And this is going to be the chair. I'm going to be thinking of you guys a lot. So thank you so much. I can't think of a nicer gift I've ever received. Thank you. How do you feel getting to work in this shop with this teacher?

Student:
It's a privilege. It's like you probably won't see the shop only once in your life. So being able to work in the shop is a privilege, like I said. So every time I walk in here, I just take a minute to breathe it all in. This is the amazing wood shop we work in with this amazing teacher who helps us really learn this skill and hone our skills in doing this. Learning here with Mr. Minor, in this environment, that's a lifelong impact for you.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many of you want to go into a career related to woodworking? Talk to me about that. What do you want to do? What makes you want to do that?

Student:
Just kind of passionate, just seeing that I can build things with my hands. Cool things that people definitely really like and will want to buy in the future. Woodworking has always been in my family and I just love the satisfaction of finishing a project that you've spent so much time on.

Anthony Godfrey:
You guys are awesome. What great, great interviews. Thank you so much. Awesome.

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

---

Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is music to the ears of students who have a passion for instrumental and visual arts. The brand new Majestic Elementary Arts Academy is opening in Jordan School District for the 2021-22 school year. On this episode of the Supercast, we go inside the new school where elementary aged artists and young musicians are extremely excited about having arts integrated into daily classroom instruction. As part of the Arts Academy, let's start by talking to some teachers. The students are getting pretty creative in classrooms where music and the arts are already coming alive.

You're here at Majestic Elementary School with Ishel and Lisa to talk about next year and the way that we're going to integrate art and music into learning all day every day. And we're really excited about that. Let's start talking about art first. I know you're the art teacher because you have your starry night mask on. Van Gogh would be very proud, although he would only be able to hang it on one side of his face. He wouldn't be able to wear the mask the way you are. Let's talk about art next year at Majestic. What's that going to look like?

Teacher:
It's going to look similar to how we're doing it here. This year, every single one of our students gets to have at least 45 minutes of art time. For our younger and older grades, they have art twice a week. So every other day, I'm in their classrooms, working with them on our current or upcoming projects.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me, how does art integrating into the rest of the learning that they're doing?

Teacher:
When I come in during our 45 minutes of art time, sometimes we integrate some of the core curriculum into our art session. I've taught the water cycle with my students. We've integrated culture. During that time, the other teachers can integrate arts during their own time. I just walked into sixth graders who were literally drawing and sketching out the solar system, by scale. So they were shading, coloring different planets. They were already integrating art into their science time. And then when I came in, it was time for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
When you think about it, it just seems obvious that when students are engaged like this, they're going to learn at a deeper level and they're going to have better levels of retention.  I believe that 100%.

Teacher:
Absolutely. So when students, usually in art class, I have about 90 to 100% engagement. Every student is listening. Every student, their hands are working on their projects, whether it's clay, a pencil drawing, painting, or weaving, Currently, we are doing weaving. They are integrating art into their normal day to day. Science core curriculum, I see so much more engagement and teachers do as well. For example, if some teachers wanted to integrate the water cycle into their science session of the day, if they had kids draw out each - precipitation, condensation, evaporation, when you have students draw it out visually, I think it reaches a lot more than just having them listen to a lecture

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, even just taking notes by hand has been shown to keep things in your head. When you're drawing pictures and you're engaged with art, it's really a new method for accessing knowledge and holding on to that knowledge.

Speaking of active learning, being involved in music is a great way to be actively involved. Tell me about how music is a part of the day.

Teacher:
Right. Music's going to be a part of the day for these students every day. They're going to receive a 45 minute block of instruction, and this is going to be all grades, kindergarten through sixth grade. It's going to look a little different from the lower grades to upper grades. The lower grades, kindergarten through third grade, are going to be doing what we call a music foundations, where they are working with some instruments. They're learning how to read music. They're learning rhythms, and they're getting some hands on with some different things. They might get to be singing some things also. And what's going to look different in the upper grades is grades four through six. The kids are actually going to be involved in band. So every student in the elementary school will be playing a band instrument, whether it be flute, clarinet, um, trumpet, trombone, or percussion. And this is a rather unique experience. I don't know of any other school in the state. That's got this opportunity for kids. Some, some schools it's two or three times a week, but we're gonna, these students are going to get it every single day.

Anthony Godfrey:
So not only will that be just a part of learning every day, but there'll be performing. There'll be part of a school-wide group. I do think that's unique. I can't think of anyone else that's doing that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk about what you want parents to know. If parents are considering having their students come to Majestic, what would you tell them about next year and what would be in store for them?

Teacher:
So, let's see. I would want parents to know that their student is going to get, um, a lot of exposure to the arts in music, as well as the visual arts. I would want parents to know that students will be able to name and recognize different art styles, different artists. We're going to be talking about art history. Your child will be able to use clay work with weaving paint, draw, uh, maybe even pursue a little bit in photography as well. We are really trying, we really expecting to have a very wide exposure to all types of different visual arts

Anthony Godfrey:
It's for your kids. And there's a level of creativity that goes with that. That is going to have the Synopsys firing in the brain, working in ways that it just doesn't when you're learning in a more passive way or in a way that isn't as engaging. What if a student doesn't feel like an artist or feel like they're good at art?

Teacher:
That is a great and totally valid question. I have seen different students, when I come into their classroom immediately shut down because they're afraid to pick up a pencil and start drawing. They're a little embarrassed about their level, or they just aren't interested in painting or clay. But I know that there is creativity and artistic potential in all of us, whether that is through the visual arts or music, dance theater, it blends into everything. I have had experiences with students who definitely say, I'm not an artist. I can't even draw a stick figure, and they really pushed back. But then once I show them that there are so many different kinds of art, like photography, graffiti art album covers art graphic design. Once they start to see that there's different ways they can pursue the art, other than just drawing with a pencil and paper, then their creativity starts to flow and they can really see themselves as an artist.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I would imagine that the visual arts and performing arts really can build a student's confidence.

Teacher:
One other thing I'd like to add to what we've talked about here is with the music. In music, there's multiple studies out there that only show the benefits that music has to a kid's education. I think one of the key areas is when you're playing a musical instrument, your brain is thinking about so many things at the same time. It' a multi-discipline thing. You're reading music. I could sit down and I could read a book and I'm going to read a book and I'm going to see those visual images in my mind as I'm reading. When I'm reading music, I'm reading expressions and how it's supposed to sound and the feeling I'm supposed to put into it. I'm also having to engage other things I'm having to do. How does my face make this instrument make a sound or my hands or my arms, and I've got to count and I've got to keep a steady pulse. There's just so many multi-discipline things that happened at once that really engage a student and really open up other areas of the brain. And I think that's one thing that really aids with opening their minds up for other parts.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Music really allows you to focus and to open up all at the same time. And a lot does run through your mind when you're playing an instrument. What would you say to someone who says, I'm not musical? I don't have access to a musical instrument. This isn't for me.

Teacher:
That's great because we are providing the instruments for the kids. The school owns the instruments. They're all stacked up here behind us. We've got all the instruments that'll be offered to the kids. We teach them how to take care of them and how they're going to be able to play them.

Anthony Godfrey:
These look like these are going to be really fun boxes to open. They look awesome. And I should describe. We've got long hollow tubes of various colors. We've got all kinds of cases and instruments. And the Board has really invested a lot of money in getting this up and running to provide this unique opportunity for any elementary age student who wants to sign up. Every kid should deserves this.

Teacher:
Absolutely. I think I totally agree with that. I think parents should know this is an opportunity for their students, that they're not going to be able to find anywhere else. And if they want a full experience for their kids, it's not only going to be like we're in class learning, but we get the opportunity to get out and perform and show everybody what it is that we're learning here at Majestic Elementary Arts Academy.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I like about what you've described is that this is everybody together. It's not, I'm one of the orchestra kids, or I'm an artist. Everybody's an artist, everyone's a musician. Everyone's a learner together. We're here with Kathe Riding, Principal at Majestic. Music had a big impact on you when you were a student. Didn't it?

Principal:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that.

Principal:
I was a Title I student and the school I was at incorporated orchestra into our school. So for four years I played the violin. And that's the only thing I got for Christmas one year. I wanted that instrument so bad because it meant so much to me. It was something I was learning to do and I was good at.

Anthony Godfrey:
So when you got that violin, what did that mean to you? What impact did that have on your life, learning the violin?

Principal:
It meant that I had a talent and before that, I didn't know if I did. And it meant that I could do things I didn't know I could do. And so it gave me confidence to try things that I was told I might not be able to do or that, uh, somebody else might have not believed I could do.

Anthony Godfrey:
And based on your own experience, what do you see happening to students who are at Majestic already that will get to enjoy this or any student who chooses to come to Majestic for this program?

Principal:
I think every student needs to have a talent that's recognized and a place to start. And I think this is a good springboard for them. Whether it's music or art, or if it's some other talent, it's going to build their confidence to go out and try stuff. And it's going to spill over into their education because music and education and art and education are tied so closely together that we're going to see them be more successful in all areas of their life. I think they're going to be extremely well prepared for the next grade, for the next adventure, for the next level and for everything beyond, because of the confidence that they get here, that they can try things they've done and discover talents.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the way you put that. Thanks everybody for spending time. I's sure been great meeting you and the staff any student who comes here is really lucky. Thank you so much for your interview.

Principal:
Thank you. We're excited.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a great opportunity. Thank you.

Teacher:
When you hold the instrument, I'm going to have you just pull it right now. Hold it around with your left hand right there. Okay. See if you can give a sound.

Anthony Godfrey:
When we come back more on the new Majestic Arts Academy and how to get your child enrolled.

Break:
It is one of the most prestigious academic achievement programs available for high school? We're proud to say it's coming back to Jordan School District. We're talking about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which will be located at West Jordan High School. The IB Program supports academic achievement for students at the very highest level diploma. This program takes place during a student's junior and senior year in high school. For more information, or to find out if your teen is a good candidate for IB visit jordandistrict.org or call West Jordan High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Majestic Elementary School with Branson and Archer. And how are you doing?

Students:
Good.

Anthony Godfrey:
What grade are you in Branson?

Student:
Third grade here at Majestic.

Anthony Godfrey:
And are you excited for next year? What makes you excited for next year?

Student:
I love music and art, so I'm very excited for that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Which do you like best, music or art?

Student:
Definitely art.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. What type of art do you like to do?

Student:
Sometimes I go crazy or I just think about something in general.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so you like to draw it? Where is it? What are some of the sorts of things that you'd like to draw?

Student:
Cars.

Anthony Godfrey:
Cars, any particular car, pacer, gremlin?

Student:
Race cars.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, that's what I was listing off. That sounds awesome. And I understand that you're a singer as well.

Student:
Yes. I have been in choir a couple of times and I love to sing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think that music and art are going to be good ways for you to learn next year?

Student:
Yes, definitely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Tell me a little bit about music. What do you like to play?

Student:
A lot of my favorite songs. Once I listened to them enough, I'll memorize them and sing them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you have one memorized that you could sing for me now?

Speaker 2:
Imagine Dragons "Believer".

Anthony Godfrey:
Your Imagine Dragons fan. All right. Let's hear it.

Student:
First things first. Let's say the words inside my head. I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been. Uh, the way that things have been. Ooh. Second things second. Stuff you tell me what you think that I can be. I'm, the one, I'm the master....

Anthony Godfrey:
That's really great. Yeah. You know, I've seen them in concert. I'm a big fan. I even bought an autograph poster of theirs. It's pretty exciting.

Student:
That's great.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love Imagine Dragons. Good job. Do you feel the words a little bit more? Does it mean more to you when you sing as opposed to just listening to it?

Student:
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Feel it in a different way.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it sounds like you're going to have a great year since you love art and music. Archer. It's nice to meet you. You're in kindergarten, right? I like your mask. You've got all these different controllers on there. Do you like video games too?

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Tell me about what do you like about making art?

Student:
That it has lots of painting and coloring because I liked coloring since my little sister really loves coloring and I do too.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like to draw and paint?

Student:
I like to draw and paint, race cars, airplanes, and to burn tentacle in their planes with my drawings.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you would like to pretend what?

Student:
Draw  and land airplanes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, you pretend to draw airplanes too. I like that. What's your favorite color to use?

Student:
Green.

Anthony Godfrey:
Green, such a great color. It kind of grabs you kind of gets your attention. Tell me about your art teacher.

STudent:
Her name is Ms. Hertz. She does a lot of art with us sometimes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What kinds of art does she do with you?

Student:
She wants us to paint and in last time, we actually made signs and Angie spray bottled them and then the next day, I don't know what to say.

Anthony Godfrey:
She sprayed water on them? And what did it do?

Student:
And they actually bonded to each other.

Anthony Godfrey:
What colors did you use? Green, your favorite color?

Student
We got to use all sort of colors. We used orange and yellow.

Anthony Godfrey:
Orange and yellow and sprayed it. The next day. It's all blended together. It's kind of magic when your art teacher knows how to do cool stuff like that. Isn't it. How about for you? Tell me about what you've done in art class.

Student:
We recently did this thing where you take popsicle sticks and they can ex and pinch them together. And then you wrap string around it a special way to make something called God's eye.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Pretty cool. Yarn and weave it. And there's color getting involved?

Student:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So do you paint it?

Student:
We use different colors of yarn. .

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, wow. Different colors of yarn. So then you weave it among the popsicle sticks.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. You guys have done some big stuff. That's really cool if you think you want to be an artist when you grow up. Do you want to stay an artist?

Student:
You know, I'm more into baseball and stuff. I have a baseball game today.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have a baseball game today?

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the name of your team? The Picassos Sox?

Student:
The Red Sox.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, I thought maybe your favorite color would be red then, but that's good. So baseball over art is what you're telling me. You think that's where your career is with baseball?

Student:
Yeah, but I'll probably be a motorcycle racer. I'm number on that.

Anthony Godfrey:
What I really like is that you have so many options available to you, artists, baseball and motorcycle racer. Is that what you said? So you've got some options. You've got some fallback.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. I'll actually just think about that. All it takes, right? You think about it and pretty soon before, you know it, you've got some things going. I can't say enough Archer about what a great future I think you have ahead of you. You got big ideas and I think big things are in your future and yours as well. I think you guys were both headed for good things.

To learn more about the Arts Academy or to register your child, visit majestic.jordandistrict.org. 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.