Supercast

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent, Anthony Godfrey. There were classic cars, souped up lawn mowers and some pretty fancy farm equipment. Students in the Bingham High School auto body class worked their magic, turning four wheels into something special. On this episode of the Supercast, we fire up the engines and head to the annual classic car show at Bingham High School. It is an event that gives students a chance to show off their talents and creativity when it comes to cars in a wide variety of other vehicles.

We're here at Bingham High School with Travis Lucero, or Lucy as the kids call him. We are at the car show and this is the official beginning of summer in my book.

Travis Lucero:
It's the end of the school year for me. I'm exhausted.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're all exhausted. It's been quite a year.

Travis Lucero:
It sure has. 

Anthony Godfrey:
But I always look forward to this event and it's just got a great vibe, great feel and it gets to highlight some of the kids' work and what's important to them.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. We love it. It's our 26th year of doing this. Barry Wooten actually started it in 1995. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. 

Travis Lucero:
I've been doing it for 16 years and every year it gets bigger and bigger. This year we have over 80 cars out, three tractors, even a lawnmower.

Anthony Godfrey:
I saw a tractor walking up and I've seen lawn mowers over the years. Tell me about the class that you teach, and why the car show?

Travis Lucero:
Well, I teach two classes. I teach a Collision Repair class, which is the outer skin of the car, like the painting and the body work. And then I also teach Welding. The car show is just, it's just like in my blood. We love hot rods. We love cars. And so it's just, for me, it's kind of like just a fun end of the year. Let the kids show off. We have four cars that have been painted that are here at the car show. And so we just, people can see what we're doing. And a lot of students are still really into cars out here. It gives them a chance to show off their pride and joy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now there are some really memorable cars over the years that I've seen. One of them was a DeLorean that I really like. That's a picture of me. That's going back to the past though. 

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. That's like five, six years ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's five or six years ago. Well, wow. Now that Chevy Nova over there. That brings back some memories. We had two Chevy Novas when I was growing up. One white, one blue. And tell me, I look out and I see this wide variety of cars. Tell me, what are the rules? Just that you're interested in showing off your car?

Travis Lucero:
So basically I try to keep 'em street legal, unless, you know, like you got a tractor or something under construction. I have a couple of really cool dirt bikes that aren’t street legal, but for the most part, if the kids can drive it in themselves, and it's street legal, they can bring it out to the car show. Whatever they're proud of, whatever they're into, we'll take. We've got some people that have some really nice classics. We've got some people that have really great tuner imports. Really big truck crowd. If they love it and they wanna show it, they can bring it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you have teachers show their cars sometimes?

Travis Lucero:
We do. Graber, the band teacher’s Austin Healy is over there. That was actually built here at Bingham. It's a 56 Austin Healy. We have Mr. Metcalf, who has his Mustang out there. We have Arbogast, who has his Ford truck out there. Dave Peck until he retired, showed a Ford car that had been built out here. So we've had quite a few teachers show their cars.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the collision repair class and the students that are drawn to that.

Travis Lucero:
So we get a lot of students that maybe struggle in academic classes, but it's kind of like their saving grace. They really love the hands-on, tactile type learning. A lot of kids that are excited by the idea of something that is custom, that they've built or that they can work on. And we just give 'em a chance to learn how to remove dents, do rust repair, all the way up to doing custom paint and flames on panels. Just kind of give 'em the full gamut. So if they wanna go get a job in a body shop, they have the skills to do that. If they wanna do fun, custom stuff on their own cars, or they have the ability to do a little bit of that as well. And it's just great, cuz they get a chance to get a break from that really, you know, hard academic learning in their day. It’s just 90 minutes, they can do something new and give their brain a rest.

Anthony Godfrey:
And hands on learning that can lead to a hobby or career. 

Travis Lucero:
Oh yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And feels great in the moment too, just getting a chance to do that.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah, I actually have about a half dozen students that are working right now in collision and repair shops. And I have about a dozen students that are working as welders right now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. 

Travis Lucero:
So there's a high demand in both areas. And most of my kids that are welding are making about $20-$25 an hour as high school students. So you can make a lot more money. There's a lot of demand for it. And it's just fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, doing something you love.

Travis Lucero:
Doing something you love, getting your hands on something, and feeling like you accomplish something every day. You can stand back and see something that you accomplished every day in class. I always tell my students like when you're welding, it's instant gratification. If you're having a bad day go in and do some welds, you will automatically feel better about yourself by the end of the day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Light that torch, things feel better. 

Travis Lucero:
Right. You burn some metal, makes you feel better.

Anthony Godfrey:
So well, I'm really grateful that we have those programs, and I'm really grateful we have you.

Travis Lucero:
Well, thank you so much. I'm glad that we can be here and be a part of Jordan District and represent Bingham High School. We love Bingham. It's a great day to be a Miner. 

Anthony Godfrey:
It is always a great day to be a Miner. Let's walk around, let's check 'em out. And of course you can hear the music in the background. And we heard some pretty serious bass out there because cars stereos and cars are inextricably linked. Of course  we've got cars as far as the eye can see. Is this your car?

Travis Lucero:
This is.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right,  how do you describe this to people who are listening?

Travis Lucero:
This is a 1950 Chevy pickup truck that's been converted to a Roadster. And a Roadster by definition is a vehicle that has no roll up side windows. It's what they call a one weather car. So it has no top to it at all. It doesn't have any side glass. It basically just has a windshield in it. So like a 32 Ford is an open top Roadster. We've been working on it at Bingham High with my classes for over a decade. In that time we've done significant metal work to it. It's been painted, all of the suspension work's been done to it. The auto mechanics class rebuilt all the rear end and helped install the engine and the transmission and do all of that this year as well. So we just try and use it as like something fun that the kids can learn on. But yeah, every year a couple inches further to a finished vehicle.

Anthony Godfrey:
It looks fantastic. What, what do you call this color of green?

Travis Lucero:
I don't know what we should call it. My friend, Ronnie actually is a custom painter and he came up with it. It's a custom mixed color. So it's a candy pearl green. A very heavy metallic pearl green.

Anthony Godfrey:
It just shines in the sun.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. It's got some pop to it for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Like it’s from space, I would think. And it's more like a beetle green, like it's this almost insect green.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. My one friend called it antifreeze. I thought that was kind of fitting.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's pretty close.

Travis Lucero:
It's pretty close to the color of antifreeze.

Anthony Godfrey:
So is this a street legal vehicle?

Travis Lucero:
Absolutely. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh my gosh.

Travis Lucero:
So when it's all done, it's not finished yet, but when it's all done, it'll have headlights. It'll have a bed on it, have blinkers, turn signals, the whole thing. It's completely street legal. 

Anthony Godfrey:
We need to get our picture by this one because this a stand out. Tell me about some of the other cars. Let's just walk around and then we'll talk to a couple of students.

Travis Lucero:
So, this is a vehicle that was done here at Bingham this year. This is just a little Scion that was actually bought as a salvage title. And we brought this in as like a fun student project and they did some body work and stuff on it. And then my friend, who's a good custom painter came in and showed the kids how to do some actual custom airbrushing and paint on it. It's got a matte finish on the top. This is actual lace. Like you go buy at a fabric store.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh really?

Travis Lucero:
And you paint, it's really old school techniques.

Anthony Godfrey:
So, the lace was laid over the top of the car?

Travis Lucero:
And they spray over the top of it. Okay. Yeah. That's what they do.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that’s a lace pattern on the hood of the car.

Travis Lucero:
Then there's water droplets on here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Those water droplets are actually painted on there. That's part of the design.

Travis Lucero:
They actually spray water down, distilled water, and then paint over the distilled water, wait for it to evaporate and then clear over the top of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is so cool.

Travis Lucero:
It’s a really cool old school technique.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. 

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. That's a 1950 Chevy Bel Air. So this was brought in by a grandparent of one of our students. So it's pretty much what you would call a restoration. It's all original. This might be a 57 actually. But it's a beautiful teal in the off white top. It's just a really neat, all original vehicle.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look at that. Now, talk about a time machine. That does take you back in time. 

Travis Lucero:
Well, especially cuz they haven't really changed anything at all. These are like factory color options. It's got all the factory trim on it. It's got the factory bench seats in it still. So, even like the baby moons and stuff are all options you could have got in the 50s.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Travis Lucero:
So it's a pretty period, correct car, except for some added in stereo equipment. It's all there. It's a beautiful piece.

Anthony Godfrey:
You know, I'll allow the stereo equipment. I’m a music fan. I think that's the only fair that they have some banging tunes in there.

Travis Lucero:
I have like 12 speakers in my truck so I don't blame you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Travis Lucero:
This Ford Bronco's pretty cool. A student and his dad's been working on this one.

Anthony Godfrey:
So a student and his dad have been working on it.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. He told me they have a couple of 'em and actually, they did all the paint and the body work and stuff on it. It's got all the bed liner done down on the bottom. It's just a really cool, this would be mid 70s Bronco. Full size Bronco.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is a really, really cool looking truck.

Travis Lucero:
I always really like Broncos. You can take the tops off like Jeeps in the summer. But they're like twice the size of a Jeep, so you can get a little more bang for your buck out of 'em, which is kind of fun.
Anthony Godfrey:
This and the fact that it's brown. Yeah. It just really, wow.

Travis Lucero:
You don't see a lot of browns.

Anthony Godfrey:
It takes me back as well. That's really something. 

Travis Lucero:
It's pretty cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is great. The kids are having a great time.

Travis Lucero:
Oh yeah, we just love it. Come out, it's  beautiful weather today. You know, we cook up J Dawgs every year. We feed all the faculty and staff for free. We sell the J Dawgs to the kids with a chip and drink for $3. Yeah. So we can pretty much come out and just relax and see a bunch of really cool cars.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great lunch and it's a great time.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. And the FACTS department actually does it. At the school store the teacher, they in her class, all put it together and cook all of it and do all of the stuff for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I know you saved me a shirt. You're wearing the shirt from the 26th Annual Car Show.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. And this was actually designed by our photo teacher this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
With the flames coming behind, what would you call that? Like a hot rod?

Travis Lucero:
Like a ‘34 Ford Roadster. Like a Tin Woody style Roadster. Kind of fun. 

Anthony Godfrey:
I love it. It's fantastic.

Travis Lucero:
This is a 1970ish, we don't know the year for sure, Sears & Roebuck lawn mower that belonged to my grandmother.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh my gosh.

Travis Lucero:
And in the 90s she couldn't get it to run. She pushed it out on the curb. My dad actually got it started in five minutes and took it home. About a decade ago he wanted to customize it. So I brought it down to the school and the kids helped me and we put flames on it, did a custom paint job on it. He threw away the lawn mower deck. He said, it's never gonna mow lawn ever again. And basically, we drive the little grandkids around in it. It's just for fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's so, it looks so cool.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah. I louvered this in college, that's how long ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? Oh man.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah, did that a long, long time ago.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love the flames. There's a ton of, is this a decal?

Travis Lucero:
No, it's all painted. 

Anthony Godfrey:
It's all paint?

Travis Lucero:
That's pin stripe. That's actually put on with a brush and it's called pin striping. You just trace around the graphics with a paint brush. 

Anthony Godfrey:
The flames look incredible. It's glitter flames. And what do you call this right here?

Travis Lucero:
That's a big shifter knob. 

Anthony Godfrey:
The big shifter knob is packed with glitter. Like a bouncy ball from the 70s.

Travis Lucero:
That actually came off of a Peterbilt semi truck. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Did it really? 

Travis Lucero:
It did, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Travis, this is fantastic. Thanks for baking these types of opportunities available to students.

Travis Lucero:
Yeah, for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think it's so incredible that they get to do this and what a great way to feature it.

Travis Lucero:
So it's a lot of fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I never miss it. I'm never going to miss it. It's a great event. And thanks again.

Travis Lucero:
Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with Travis Lucero and his students at Bingham High School's car show.

Break:
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Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. We're here with Cooper and Vincent at the car show, talking about Skills USA and just the chance to show off their work. So thanks for being here guys, and talking with me. Introduce yourselves.

Cooper:
My name is Cooper. I'm a senior here at Bingham High School. I am helping run the car show. I have my own car here. It's gonna be a great, I'm having a great time.

Vincent:
I'm Vincent and I am the Skills USA President. And this is my senior year at Bingham High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Skills USA for those who don't know.

Vincent:
So Skills USA is mostly involved in the CTE programs of our school. So anything from welding, to woodworking, and auto mechanics. And our main goal is basically to develop a good teamwork environment for all, everybody from seniors to sophomores. And to really just create those bonds that'll go down and get that experience that will help us in the future to do our own things.

Anthony Godfrey:
And which of those areas is your specialty?

Vincent:
So I came into Skills USA last year involved in the woodworking and the welding. This year I came in through the welding program.

Anthony Godfrey:
And have you been working as a welder, or do you plan to work as a welder?

Vincent:
I do work as a welder at a fabrication shop and I do a lot of custom stuff over there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that something you want to continue with?

Vincent:
I honestly really love it. I enjoy doing it and I feel like this is something I could go down doing until, really, I die honestly. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's awesome when you find that. Cooper, tell me about what you've been doing.

Cooper:
Well, I'm also in Skills USA. I helped build the drift trike by just like putting it all together. I'm going to be an auto mechanic. That's what I just found out I love doing, cuz it's just so fun. But when I first came in here, my sophomore year, I had Auto I and I just hated cars for like when I first started. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Cooper:
Yeah. It's just because I just didn't learn anything and it was just, I just felt like I didn't belong there. But then my mom put me in for Auto II in the second year. Then I got my current teacher, Mr. Metcalf, Aaron Metcalf, and he taught me a whole bunch of stuff that I just thought like, ‘Hey, this is not so bad because it's not as hard as I thought it would be.’

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, moms are good at pushing you into things that you didn't think you were gonna like, but turn out, being life changing.

Cooper:
Yeah, that's so true. I really gotta thank my mom for like, just forcing me into that class cuz I don't know what I'd be doing other than this right now if I didn't do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I admire that you have these skills and that you've pursued them the way that you have. And I love what you said about Skills USA bringing people together and providing that support. It's really important at this stage in high school to feel like you connect with others and that you get to explore your skills. So I'm really excited that you've been a part of that. 

Let's take a look at your car Cooper. 

Cooper:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's go check it out. Tell us about it as we walk up there.

Cooper:
So, I have this car from my grandpa who passed away in February, just this year. It's a 2005 Ford F-150. There's nothing really that special about it, but I like it. I'm gonna keep it like for a long time cuz it's my my grandpa's car.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what you plan for the car.

Cooper:
Well, I hope to like repaint it, make it like a bright blue or like a nice blue color. I plan to raise it up a little bit. Just make bigger tires, make it sort of an off rotor sort of car. Cuz right now I think this is just a like working or just carrying stuff, car you know, just for work.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And how long did your grandfather own this car?

Anthony Godfrey:
As long as you can remember?

Cooper:
No, I don't know how long he owned this car, but I know he had it for a long time cuz it has like over 200,000 miles on it. And his death was just well, his passing, I should say it was just a little bit of a sudden thing for us. And so like I just got his car and I don't know. I don't know if I wanna change it too much just because like, you know, it reminds me of my grandpa and all that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's very special that you have that and that'll be a great way to help remember him. Tell me, two of you are graduating seniors now. What advice do you have for those who are just starting high school?

Cooper:
Well, my advice is that I would just figure out, like find out something that you don't love, even though you may. Because for me, like I, when I joined Auto, I hated it. Like my first year I did not ever want to do it again. But like my mom just pushed me into there and this is what I want to do now. I love doing it. So I would say listen to your mom and do your very best.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good advice.

Vincent:
The advice I would give to the younger generations out there, if you know what you want to do, you should go for it regardless of what anybody says you can or can't do. If you believe that you can set your mind to it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome. Well, thanks a lot guys. I'm proud of the work that you've done and that you've been able to find some skills and find a passion through these classes. So great work and keep it up. All right, good luck in the future.

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.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They followed in the footsteps of their father, dedicating their lives to careers in education. On this episode of the Supercast, we meet four sisters who recently retired after spending a combined 100 years in the classroom. It is a century of work among siblings who made a big difference in the lives of students throughout Jordan School District.

We are here at Westvale Elementary to interview four sisters. One of whom has retired, three are retiring this year, and all have worked for Jordan School District for a long time. So I'm gonna ask them each to introduce themselves.

Margaret Chandler:
I'm Margaret Chandler and I am teaching at West Hills Middle School, and I'll have 24 years in with the district.

Evelyn Marse:
I'm Evelyn Marse and I'm the one that is already retired. But I have 40 years in and I finished up at Riverton High School.

Pennie Lovato:
Pennie Lovato. I am retiring with 40 years and I am at Herriman High School.

Cathy Sullivan:
Cathy Sullivan. And I'm at Westvale Elementary right here. I've only put in 15 years with the Jordan District.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, Marilyn Richards turned me on to this story and she calls you the Quilter sisters. Why is that?

Evelyn Marse:
That's our maiden name.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the Quilters. Oh, very nice. Yes. And how does she know all the Quilter sisters?

Pennie Lovato:
She taught me in junior high at West Jordan Middle School. 7th grade PE classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
She told me about a remarkable seventh grade PE student that she taught. That must have been you Pennie.

Pennie:
I'm sure it was.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have no doubt. How did the rest of you know Marilyn?

Cathy Sullivan:
I went to school with one of her sisters. And that's kind of how I knew her.

Evelyn Marse:
I actually had Marilyn as my ninth grade PE teacher at West Jordan Middle. And I've worked with Marilyn when she was a vice principal and when she was a principal.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, and then when I got out of college, my first teaching position was at West Jordan Middle and she was a teacher there. And so we taught together for seven years while I was there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So, you guys know her in lots of different ways. And she has been my boss in various ways. She was principal when I was an assistant principal at Jordan High School. And now of course she's on the Board of Education and decides whether I get my next contract every time, along with the other six Board members. So, we all have a close connect with her. That's awesome. Tell me each of you a little bit about where you've taught and what your education journey has been in Jordan District, and in other districts

Margaret Chandler:
I've always been in the Jordan School District. Started at West Jordan Middle School and taught there for seven years. And then I was having a family and I stopped and tried to see if I could run a preschool business to stay home with my little ones. I did that for about five years and that just didn't pan out. So then I got back into the district and taught at Indian Hills Middle School when they were still part of our district for five years. And then I jumped out again and ran a preschool business very successfully for 15 years. And then I jumped back in again and went to West Hills Middle School. Kim Baker was the principal at that time and hired me on. And so I've just been there ever since.

Evelyn Marse:
Okay. So boy, I think about it, I started back in 1980. I always tell people, when I talk about all the schools I've been at, I would get like the seven year itch. I would just go, I just need to look at something different, different windows, different students, different walls, something. So I taught seven years at Midvale Middle, and I had the opportunity to teach with my dad. That was, that was one of the best opportunities ever at Midvale Middle.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was principal at Midvale Middle years after that.

Evelyn Marse:
Years after that, I was gonna say, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what did you teach? And what did your dad teach?

Evelyn Marse:
Dad taught math and I was special ed. I've always been special ed. So yeah, I mean, it was fun and challenging. My dad was old school. He didn't believe such things as learning disabilities. He thought that they were just play classes. I finally convinced him, you know, when he was struggling with a student. Why don't you just refer the student? Let's test him, let's work. And he started going through that process. And I would tell him about the testing and where the student was at and he'd go, ‘oh, that would make sense why he is not getting it.’ I mean, he started to understand special ed. So that was, it was such a growing experience for us. So that was, that was fun.
After that I went to Mount Jordan Middle, I think I spent eight years there. And then Marilyn hired me at South Jordan Middle. I loved it there, but an opportunity came up to go to Genesis that was by the prison for the Youth Correctional Program. And I jumped at that because I wanted something so different and that was exciting. That was way exciting. So I just spent five years there and then I went to Riverton, finished out. That's where I stopped. I went, I don't think I wanna move one more time. So I finished out my last 12 years at Riverton.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you retired, how many years ago?

Evelyn Marse:
I retired in 2019 and then I took a year off. And then they called me back and said, ‘we don't have enough online special ed teachers. So would you be willing to teach outta your basement for a year?’ So I did. It was challenging. And I have to say, I would do that one again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Evelyn Marse:
That was such a learning experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, I'll keep a note of that.

Evelyn Marse:
There you go.

Pennie Lovato:
Keep her in mind. Okay, so I started out teaching elementary and also it's always been special ed. And I decided that after six years of elementary, that I felt like I needed something more. So then I tried a self-contained classroom at Jordan High, the old Jordan High. Did that for a couple of years and decided that wasn't my gig. So then I transferred to Hillcrest High and did a Resource setting and felt like that was my niche. And so I stayed there for, I don't know, 19, 20 years at Hillcrest High, then transferred to Riverton High and then Herriman High.

Anthony Godfrey:
Were you ever at Riverton at the same time together?

Evelyn Marse:
We were there together. And darn that finally came down that said we couldn't teach together any longer.

Anthony Godfrey:
That nepotism rascal got in the way.

Evelyn Marse:
Because I mean, come on, we had different last names.

Pennie Lovato:
Although we did teach right next door to each other.

Evelyn Marse:
We don't look alike.

Pennie Lovato:
No, uh huh. No.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what was it like teaching next to each other? Were you able to kind of share a little bit?

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh, it was wonderful. It was like teaching with dad. It was like, this is such a great experience.

Pennie Lovato:
It was wonderful to have some of the same students and go and brainstorm, you know, what will work? How can we reach the student? So it was fun to collaborate.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're not only all educators, but you've also been able to be educators together. That's exciting. And you're retiring from Herriman High School, okay.

Cathy Sullivan:
I taught 43 years ago at Santaquin Elementary. I was determined, I wanted my kindergarten and that was it. They were the ones that offered me a kindergarten. They were kind of booming then. And so I had a large number, 60 plus kids come through my two kindergartens and I was the only kindergarten teacher. Loved it, just literally loved it. Then I married and we moved up here to this valley. I taught half a year at East Midvale Elementary and then had some health issues and had to quit as the family started coming on. I didn't get back to teaching until my oldest daughter said, ‘Mom, you're wasting your education.’ And I went, oh my gosh, you sound just like your grandpa. And so I did what I needed to and I came back. I interviewed all over this district and I had just, you know, you go by that gut feeling. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is Westvale. This is where, you know, I started in West Jordan right here. So I said, okay, I'll interview with Kathe Riding. And Kathe Riding said I walked in and I said, you know, ‘I was the first sixth grade class here.’ And she says, ‘Really? Well, how does this school feel?’ And I said, ‘It feels great. It feels like I'm coming home.’ And over the last 15 years, I would not have gone anywhere else. I loved it. Taught kindergarten, and then Brenda Anderson asked me to go to first grade. And then she asked me before she left, come back to kindergarten and I was like, ‘Oh yes. Oh yes. Of course.’

Anthony Godfrey:
So you got to end at Westvale in kindergarten.

Cathy Sullivan:
Yes. And I'm finally going to graduate kindergarten.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations. Wow. It's been a long journey. Now you said 43 years?

Cathy Sullivan:
No, just it was 43.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, I right. just since Santaquin. Yeah.

Cathy Sullivan:
Yeah, since Santaquin.

Anthony Godfrey:
So 43 years. That's the 70s, right? Wow. Just checking. Just had to put a number to that. Now we're here.

Cathy Sullivan:
I'm a little bit old.

Anthony Godfrey:
Because we're here at Westvale, I actually have this binder that has a picture of you in your class. What year was that? What year was that?

Cathy Sullivan:
I don't recall.

Anthony Godfrey:
1967- 1968. Does that sound familiar?

Cathy Sullivan:
I remember my teacher, Ms. Olsen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Cathy Sullivan:
She was actually in our ward together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, let's take a look there.

Cathy Sullivan:
Okay. I am right there on the top row.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you look familiar there? Look at that. How about that?

Cathy Sullivan:
I know, short hair still.

Anthony Godfrey:
Short hair, yeah. Do you remember any of these people?

Cathy Sullivan:
Actually I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about them. This one right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, what about him?

Cathy Sullivan:
He was Mr. Peterson's son.

Anthony Godfrey:
Big man on campus?

Cathy Sullivan:
He was, he was. He loved basketball and everything. And then there was a group of us that when Mr. Peterson was giving us our math times tables and we were trying to beat each other's time. Oh my gosh. So competitive. And I had no idea I was that competitive. It was crazy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So did you beat him out?

Cathy Sullivan:
Only once or twice. He had, I mean, it was his father.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Fair enough. He had a bit of advantage.

Cathy Sullivan:
He had inside help. Yeah. And then Evelyn is in there someplace. I did see Evelyn.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now wait, what grade would you have been in Evelyn? Let’s take a look.

Evelyn Marse:
I would've been, third grade? Fourth grade?

Anthony Godfrey:
Third grade. Alright, let's turn back.

Evelyn Marse:
Okay. Wait, wait, wait. These people look really familiar.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're just leafing through those class pictures for those who are listening.

Evelyn Marse:
There I am.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, there she is. Look at that.

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my word.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that a sweater vest?

Evelyn Marse:
No that, no, it was a dress.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's a dress.

Evelyn Marse:
You know that made it look like there was a little shirt under it. Yes, I have the groovy glasses going too. And look, my hair does kind of look the same. We all got pixie cuts.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Looks good. Is Pennie in here?

Evelyn Marse:
Pennie, you should be in here. You were just a couple.

Cathy Sullivan:
And Margaret should too.

Evelyn Marse:
So you would, if I was fourth, you would've been first.

Pennie:
Second.

Evelyn Marse:
No, second.

Pennie:
Second. There I am, up at the top.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, there she is.

Pennie:
I got my little sailor dress on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Your sailor dress.

Evelyn Marse:
I was gonna say she didn't have the same haircut.  She had a little pony tail.

Pennie:
I had a pony tail.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you remember the sailor dress?

Pennie:
Oh yes, I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it is funny how we remember the outfit.
When we come back more from the sisters and their combined century in education.

Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district, and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made you all retire at the same time? The three of you? What was the impetus for that happening? Who's responsible? Because we're losing you all at once.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, I'm finally old enough, 65. I felt that I can start getting insurance, another place. So, I was carrying the insurance for my husband. So just hanging in there and just getting enough years in.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Pennie, is it just coincidence that you decided to retire at the same time?

Pennie Lovato:
I just felt like I had reached 40 and that was my max. Magical number.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fair enough, yeah. I'd say four decades, you've earned it.

Cathy Sullivan:
I didn't know if I ever wanted to retire to be very honest with you. And then my husband said ‘Now, Cathy, we're going to retire together and we'll have lots of fun gardening and whatever.’ And I'm like, 'oh boy.' And so he retired this year in March, the end of March. And so I'm following suit like he asked. I'm like, 'you know what? This is a good year to go out on. It really is.'

Evelyn Marse:
I thought it was because I'd made retirement look so wonderful.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, yeah. That's right. Now  you've forged the path, so what is your advice?

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh.

Anthony Godfrey:
Retire for a year and then go back to work?

Evelyn Marse:
Yeah, you might need a break. You might need a break from retirement. I think I need a break from retirement.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Fair enough. Yeah.

Evelyn Marse:
Might have another year in me. But you know, we were looking at this. We kept adding up years, and adding up years and we finally came up with, between dad and all of us. We have 148 years in Jordan School District. And then between the other years that we're taught, it's just over 155 years in education.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's amazing. Well, we're all grateful. So many of them were in Jordan School District. Tell me about your dad.

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh. He was one of those teachers, I watched him do this a few times. He loved, he loved his team. I mean, he had a great math team, but they were such pranksters. I mean, I'd walk down the hall with him and all of a sudden he'd just lean over and flip off lights in somebody's classroom and I'd hear ‘Mr. Quilter, turn those lights back on!’ you know, because they all knew what he would be doing.

When you didn't win in the drills on math, I'm shocked. Oh yes. Because I mean, dad drilled us. We were lined up. We know our times tables. We don't need a calculator or flash cards. And you know, he was the man that would just say, ‘just read me the scores.’ The end of the quarter would come and he'd go, ‘just read me the scores.’ And we'd read him the scores out of the book for a name. And he never used a calculator. Of course we had one over there because we wanted to prove him wrong and he'd say, okay, this is the amount.

Anthony Godfrey:
And he'd add it in his head.

Evelyn Marse:
And he'd add it in his head. And it was like, what the heck? You really can do this, can't you?

Margaret Chandler:
Well, he was a mentor to us because we would come home from college and we would sneak in and sit in the back of his classroom. And we would observe him and how he went about teaching, and how his fairness with the students, how he talked to them, how he was stern. But they were able to joke and learn in that environment. He was a mentor to all of us.

Pennie Lovato:
I don't think he ever thought all of us would stay in teaching as long as we did. Because I remember him telling me, I mean, he was born in 1931, so it's the old, you get married, you have kids. And so when we were all starting to go to college, he's like, and we're going eventually we'll go into education and he's going well, that's okay. That's a good one to fall back on. So, you know, if you graduate, you graduate, if you don't, you don't. But if you graduate and something happens to your husband and you can't work or whatever, then you can fall back on teaching. It wasn't that he thought it was going to be our life profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
148 years later.

Pennie Lovato:
I know. I know. And, but for me, I felt like I found the gift I was given. I loved teaching. And I would do it again if I could go with the wisdom that I have now and all the tools. I don't wanna start out as a brand new teacher with nothing in my tool belt. Because I'm sorry, those first year teachers, they might have tricks, but wisdom comes from a lot of experience, trial and error and pain and anguish. If you don't think you're gonna get back, then you're in the wrong profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what you've liked most about teaching.

Cathy Sullivan:
The lights coming on in their eyes. When you see a student that finally you've worked and worked and suddenly they get it. I had one student. I have to tell this, I had one student. He could not get zero plus anything is gonna be that number. He couldn't get the zero secret. And I worked and worked and worked. And finally I was like, ‘Okay, Scott, what is 10 plus zero?’ ‘10.’ Oh my gosh. I think you've got it. And I said, ‘you've got a three day weekend coming. I'm gonna check you Monday morning. I'm gonna check you and see if you've got it.’ And sure enough, Monday came and I said, ‘Scott, what's one plus zero?’ ‘One.’ ‘What's 10 plus zero?’ ‘10.’ ‘What's 100 plus zero?’ ‘100.’ And I said, ‘Scott, I'm gonna pick something really hard. What is 1 million plus zero?’ ‘1 million.’ Oh my gosh. You've got it. And the whole class is cheering.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's awesome

Cathy Sullivan:
Yeah, it's really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
I thought 10 plus zero was a hundred. So I've learned something. I've learned something. Pennie, what did you love most about teaching?

Pennie:
I think I have loved it because in special ed with some of the students, we start with them in 10th grade and then I might have them in 11th grade and 12th grade. I have enjoyed seeing that progression through 10th, 11th, and 12th. The development, the growth, to see where they were and to have conversations with the students about, do you remember 10th grade and where we were and look at you now in 12th grade. I have enjoyed watching that development.

Anthony Godfrey:
And having students three years in a row. You're able to see that, yeah.

Pennie Lovato:
And the relationship, the relationship that's developed in those three years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure, Evelyn?

Evelyn Marse:
Well, I agree with Pennie. I think that, you know, especially in high school, relationships are just a little more adult, a little bit, but a little more adult. But I think with all of that, I mean through my teaching, I'm one of those, let me give you a bit of wisdom. Let me give you a little bit of wisdom today. A little bit more. Let's talk about how your life could pan out and what you need besides school. So, I would give students bits of wisdom and I love the fact that I have run into so many students since then that have graduated and they'll go, 'Mrs. Marse, you were right. You were right. I listened to you. This happened to me. And I thought, this is what Mrs. Marse told us would happen. And this is what we should do. I listened to you.' And they thanked me and I'm like, okay, everything was worth it, all the pain, the anguish, the tears, the prayers that beat my head against the wall. It's all worth it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's very rewarding to hear that. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Margaret.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, I teach Family and Consumer Science. And I think the thing that I found so enjoyable is that I'm teaching the students life skills. Skills that they're gonna use the rest of their life. And they’re lab classes. And maybe classes that some students excel at, math or English or, you know, science, maybe they're not so sharp with the hands on. And then I have other students that are more hands on and they excel and they progress. And it starts their time to shine. And it's, it's just wonderful to see that the skills developed with the foods, and child development, with clothing, and sewing. And that's been very rewarding to see that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what are your plans now? What happens now that you've retired from such great careers and I mean, you have a few days left, but what's ahead for you?

Pennie Lovato:
I think we're gonna connect with each other more. Even though we're in the same valley, we're so busy, we've been so busy that we haven't spent as much time as we want to with each other. And I think connecting with our families, grandkids and setting our own time schedule when we get up in the morning, you know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you need a recording of the bell from school to kind of set your day? Because I think we could arrange for that if you'd like. Kinda wean you off of it gradually.

Margaret Chandler:
I don't think so. I think we're gonna be okay.

Evelyn Marse:
Gonna go cold turkey, aren't you?

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, you talk cold turkey. You're ready to just shut it down. Okay. Fair enough. When I first went to the district office and there were no more bells to guide my day, I'd stand up every once in a while and just kind of walk out to the door of my office and my administrative assistant would say, ‘The bell just rang didn’t it?’ and I'm like, ‘Yeah. Yep. It did.’ So if you do that, you're not alone. Now when we walked in, we are in Cathy's classroom. How long has it been since you've been in Cathy's classroom?

Pennie:
Never.

Anthony Godfrey:
Never in Cathy’s classroom?

Pennie:
Never. We've never been in Cathy's, she's never been in ours. No.

Margaret Chandler:
Oh, I think Cathy, I've been here in one of your classrooms, but I don't know if it was this exact room.

Cathy Sullivan:
It was probably the one across the hall. It was the bigger one. When I came back from first grade to kindergarten. This is the room they put me in and I love it. I mean, it's big enough. Westvale’s got such a weird layout. It's kind of like a spider with legs.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is a different kind of school that's for sure.

Evelyn Marse:
No, we don't really get to each other's classrooms. Like I said, when Pennie and I were with each other teaching at Riverton, we were in each other's rooms all of the time. And I've been over to Herriman a few times, but, but otherwise, no, that's why we are not as connected as we'd like to be. And I think we all kind of like each other now. Maybe not so much growing up but, but I think we kind of like each other and we like each other's company. So that will be kind of nice to do more things together.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s awesome. I’m very grateful for the 150 years that your family has given to Jordan School District. And I know many, many students and families are as well. So thank you.

Evelyn Marse:
You're welcome. Thank you.

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

Transcription coming soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They have made memories to last a lifetime, sharing a love for learning, fostering great friendships and building a foundation for a great future. On this episode of the Supercast, we sit down with members of the Jordan School District Graduating Class of 2022 to find out how they are feeling as they head into a whole new chapter of their lives. 

Alex is here from Riverton High School. Alex, tell me about your graduation speech.

Alex:
Awesome. Yeah, I auditioned to give a speech and I got in. So I use the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world as a metaphor. It took 12 years to build and I use it as a metaphor basically to explain that we are the project spent on by thousands of people and unlimited resources to create these wonders in 12 years. And so, I love metaphors, and that was the one I chose.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a good metaphor. There are a lot of people who contribute to the growth of seniors and to where you arrive.

Alex:
Exactly. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you tell me about some of those people?

Alex:
Yeah, of course. Some of my greatest mentors in high school have been Mr. Briggs. He was my history teacher last year and he is just so energized and then enthusiastic about everything he teaches and really just involves his students. And also my theater teacher, Mr. Eaton also is just an awesome example of how to work hard and really just like dive in head first into everything you do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of your favorite classes over time. You talked about history and drama.

Alex:
Yeah. So yeah, I act and so I love my acting classes. I've been able to take a lot of them. I've been able to be on MDT, the Music, Dance, Theater class. It's the audition, you could call varsity, program at Riverton. And that's been an incredible experience to work with 28 other students and just, you know, all share our love we have for theater. It's been an incredible experience, we get to put on three shows a year. And so we get to where we're always busy at Riverton.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's a power packed combination of talents. That's not, I can just sing or I can just dance or I can just act, that's everything put together.

Alex:
Yeah. It's the triple threat for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
What will you miss most about school?

Alex:
I'll miss, I mean, the structure for sure. Having it built in and having somewhere to be and having something to do all the time. And also just like the comradery and the constant feeling that everyone is looking out for you. Cause I definitely feel, at least at Riverton, we have a very good community feeling. I constantly feel like, I don't know, there's always someone I could turn to. There's never been a moment where I'm like, ‘oh, I don't have anywhere to turn.’ If it's a teacher, an advisor, a VP you know, friends, I, you just always have someone to look to. I think the way we can find other people to look to as we go on, but it's kind of sad to close that chapter, the book and move on. It's a little bit surreal.

Anthony Godfrey:
The connections don't go away, but they change. Yeah. It's a great way of putting it. There's a schedule. There's something you're expected to do, you know, what's next, and you have a connection to people to help you help you get there.

Alex:
Yeah, no, it's nice for sure. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Would you read a portion of your speech for me?

Alex:
Yeah, of course. Yeah. 

‘Don't you see? We are the 12 year project, the work of thousands; faculty, students, coaches, friends, and family have worked to shape our todays and our tomorrows. So many have given of themselves to give us the tools so that each of us, in due time, may challenge the sky. As we go on to become the greatest creators of all time, I challenge you to never be content with mediocrity. To never falter with the wind in your face. To never take lightly the time and effort the people in our lives have taken and given to construct you. Finally, my fellow graduates, my friends, let us realize that the sky is no limit because for us, anything is possible.’

Anthony Godfrey:
Challenge the sky. I love that. That's great. Yeah. What's next for you?

Alex:
First I'll be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where are you headed?

Alex:
I am headed to Kansas, Wichita.

Anthony Godfrey:
Kansas, Wichita. Nice.

Alex:
Yeah, I'm so excited.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been to Kansas before?

Alex:
No, no, I have not. I hear there are tornadoes and lots of open fields.

Anthony Godfrey:
And when you return, you'll be able to make jokes about not being in Kansas anymore, endlessly.

Alex:
I am so excited for that.

Anthony Godfrey:
As a  theater person, you'll have, you know, particular cred when you do that. 

Alex:
I will abuse the privilege. And then after that I'm headed to Utah State, most likely, unless things change, to pursue a business something. Maybe marketing, just something in the business field probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
But you have time to figure that out.

Alex:
Exactly. Yeah. That's the best thing about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you're in a great spot and I'm glad it's been such a great experience. I've really enjoyed talking with you. I wish you the best. 

Alex:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm speaking with Valentina from Copper Hills High School. Hi Valentina, thanks for talking with me this morning.

Valentina:
Thank you for inviting me.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're speaking at graduation. Tell me about your speech.

Valentina:
Basically I talk about the memories that we create from school and we're going to like, remember after school and even after college and all that stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Could you share some of it with me?

Valentina:
Yeah, sure. I think one of my favorite sentence, it's a word that I found on the internet, and it's ‘the flapping of a butterfly's wings in Ecuador can cause a hurricane in Texas. I know it sounds a little bit absurd, but that is exactly what happened to us. The whispers of the past that said ‘Study, keep going. You can do it’, became hurricanes and changed our lives. And all these events that have made us be here today. It's funny how for years we counted on vacation days, but this time it was a little different. We waited to finish school for so long that now at the end, we see how much we're going to miss it.’

I don't know. I think in my personal opinion, I have really good memories with some teachers. And I think like right now, when I see that, like I'm almost graduating, I think where I'm going to really miss, like having those times with those teachers and the classes of my classmates.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can you tell me about some of those teachers and some of those experiences?

Valentina:
I think like the teacher that I have most connections with were my two dance teachers that I have Miss Jennifer Fulger and Miss Anna Bay. They were like, like their personality was really similar to mine and I feel like they were like my family more than just teachers. And most of the time when I had trouble, I laid on them, like to talk to them. I really feel confident with them.

Anthony Godfrey:
That means a lot to have a relationship like that where you can have support from, from a teacher in that way. Tell me about some of your favorite classes from K-12. What were your favorite classes and grades?

Valentina:
I always had like straight A's or maybe right now I have like a B in Food class. I'm really bad at Foods. But I think my favorite class would be like Dance of course, and Ballroom. Maybe business classes, like Business Office or Economics. I'm taking college classes, and I have like an A I know that, Marketing or Retailing. Yeah, those are my favorites.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like you had a wide variety of great experiences at school.

Valentina:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's next for you?

Valentina:
I'm planning to study at the University of Utah. And then later on maybe work at, I don't know. I was planning on the headquarters of Disneyland, something like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
That sounds like a great ambition. Can I get a couple of passes to Disney World?

Valentina:
For sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. I appreciate the hookup. Now, you've danced for how many years?

Valentina:
Since I remember I've been dancing. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. What's your favorite kind of dance?

Valentina:
I will say like contemporary.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Valentina:
But now that I'm taking like ballroom classes, I never took them since junior year, and I really like Salsa or Bachata, they're my two favorites.

Anthony Godfrey:
Are you going to continue dancing beyond high school?

Valentina:
I hope so.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's great. What are some of the things you would say to students who are just starting out in high school? What advice would you give them?

Valentina:
Just create a balance between studying and also socializing. I think those two are really, really important during your school years. So like, keep your grades up and also like have time to enjoy with your friends or with your community. I think all those stuff are really important.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sounds like you've been able to strike a really good balance between those two.

Valentina:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about some of your friends. Do you wanna give a shout out to anybody?

Valentina:
To, I don't know, my best friends Anna, Patricia.

Anthony Godfrey:
What what's Anna been to you during high school?

Valentina:
She's been like a sister to me. Like every time that I've been like on my best or in my worst, I've been there for her and she's been for me. Like we always been together and I don't know, I feel like a really good connection with her.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sounds like you're fortunate to have each other. Well, I wish you the very best and I'm excited to hear your speech.

Valentina:
Yeah. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Congratulations. 

Valentina:
Thank you for inviting me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we'll hear more from members of the graduating class of 2022.

Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district, and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
We have Owen here from Herriman High School. Owen, would you mind sharing some of your speech with us?

Owen:
Yeah, of course. ‘Everything we did was an exchange. My lab group and I collaborated and thought through everything together to attempt to understand our very confusing experiments. If you did not understand the difference between exothermic and endothermic reactions, how to do a titration without making it oversaturated, or the importance of significant figures, you just had to ask and someone would be willing to help you. We worked together as lab partners like athletes, musicians, or actors work together to make something better than any one person could create. I hope I remember to value the people in my classes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and family. And I hope that all of you will try to do the same.’

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great message. We rely on each other. And you've learned to rely on others through high school.

Owen:
Yeah, for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me more about that.

Owen:
Yeah, so I’m my  graduating class’s Valedictorian and I was trying to think about what message to write about. And I was just thinking about how my success is not just the product of myself. My success is really just the result of me and the people around me who helped support me throughout the four years of high school. So I just wanted to talk about how we should be more grateful and like show our gratitude for those in our lives for helping us bring guests to where we are today.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a remarkable perspective. I was at the Herriman Senior Awards night and I saw you walk across the stage quite a few times. And for you to be focused on other people and their assistance and their role in getting you to where you are is really commendable.

Owen:
Yeah. I really try to make sure that everyone in my life is happy. And it's just been a very big goal of mine for a long time.

Anthony Godfrey:
You have a lot of accomplishments behind you already. What do you have in store after graduation?

Owen:
I will be attending the University of Utah. I will be majoring in biochemistry and then I will get a minor in Chinese and psychology.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been taking Chinese?

Owen:
I have, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
From what age?

Owen:
Since I was six. I’ve been in Chinese immersion since 1st grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. What's your favorite phrase in Chinese?

Owen:
Probably just like classic Huānyíng dàjiā. That just means like welcome everyone. Just because like throughout all of elementary school, that's just how our teachers would start most of our lessons and it's just welcome to everyone. I really liked it and it's just simple. 

Anthony Godfrey:
So not only have you studied Chinese for a long time, but you obviously enjoy it since you're going to pursue a minor.

Owen:
Yeah, I love it. My best friend is actually an immigrant from Hong Kong, China. So I've been trying, really trying to incorporate like the Chinese culture into my life for years now. And it's, yeah, I just love it. And I wanna learn more about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Have you been?

Owen:
I have, yeah. I went in 2015 with my family when I was like 10. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, that's incredible.

Owen:
It really was.

Anthony Godfrey:
And did it feel good to have the chance to use the language in China?

Owen:
For sure. I mean, it was obviously pretty challenging considering I was only 10 at the time.

Anthony Godfrey:
For sure. Sure.

Owen:
But yeah, it was a really life changing experience to be able to actually use something I'd been learning for the past five years.

Anthony Godfrey:
What has drawn you to biochemistry as a major?

Owen:
I've always really been in love with science, but I think the biggest reason I decided on biochemistry was my AP Chemistry teacher. Just because that class really drew me in and I really loved all of the content. It was one of my favorite classes last school year.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what is it about biochemistry content? Is it that you understand the world in a different way or what?

Owen:
I think it's just a very interesting perspective on the world because I think chemistry as a whole is a very overlooked subject, and chemistry, especially biochemistry is like literally everything. And I just think it's interesting to learn about how the world works on such a small level.

Anthony Godfrey:
The whole world is made up of chemistry.

Owen:
Yeah, exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. What are some of the things that you'll remember most about your K-12 experience?

Owen:
Probably just the people. I've had incredible people throughout my life, and they helped raise and support me, and they mean the world to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you wanna give any shoutouts to anybody?

Owen:
Probably my chemistry teacher. Jessilynn Morton. She's an incredible woman. She's also our school's yoga teacher. So she's very versatile.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yoga and chemistry. Wow.

Owen:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's impressive.

Owen:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
She's almost as impressive as Chinese and biochemistry.

Owen:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
You’ve got a great future ahead. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me.

Owen:
Thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
We have Easton from Valley High School here. Easton you're speaking at Graduation this year.

Easton;
That's correct.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me some of what you're gonna be sharing with the class.

Easton:
A lot of it is kind of talking about how we are moving past this big chapter in our lives and it's now time to move on to a different path. Like we've been working towards school for 12 years now and it's probably, like everyone says, it's one of your first biggest achievements and now we're all finally leaving the nest. So it's time to move on to bigger things now. 

Anthony Godfrey:
Would you like to read a little portion of it?

Easton:
Yeah. So I have this one paragraph it says, ‘Author, Ken Poirot said “Today is the opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.” I think that's an important takeaway for all of us to remember. As long as you have the will and determination to pave the path for your future, there's no roadblock big enough to stop you. When you're in times of doubt, always keep in mind that you've all endured your own individual hardships, yet, you've come out on top. All your years of going to school support this. There have been times that it seemed hopeless, never ending, unbearable, or even just an all around undoable task. However, we all conquered the odds and proved to ourselves just how capable and tenacious we are. Don't lose that tenacity now that you're graduated. Much like everyone's favorite fictional boxer used to say, “It ain't about how hard you get hit, or it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” So keep moving forward. Never stop moving forward in the face of adversity. sSow the world how unwilling you are to quit.’

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Inspiring. 

Easton:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your time in school. What are some of your favorite memories from school K-12?

Easton:
Let's see. When I was, I guess a sophomore, I transferred over to Alta High School. And that's where I met and one of my closest friends, that I'm still best friends with today. And I can't really say I necessarily enjoyed going to school until I came to Valley. It was the first school that I wasn't miserable when I woke up in the morning, and I was looking forward to seeing all my teachers and just, yeah, being there. It's a good place to be for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was it about Valley that made it such a good connect for you?

Easton:
The schoolwork wasn't as overwhelming and they always tell you that the teachers there, they actually care about you. Like actually have connections with them. I'm friends with them and they're just really easy to, I guess, have a relationship with and thrive there.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it was connections with teachers that made the difference at Valley.

Easton:
Yeah, I would say so.

Anthony Godfrey:
What interests are you pursuing next?

Easton:
I want to go to a trade school in Orem called MTECH and I either want to become a mechanic or go into web design. I think those seem super interesting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's a wide range of skills.

Easton:
Right? I think that'd be super cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's great. Everybody needs someone that can fix their car and fix their computer. That's right.

Easton:
That’s right. Yeah, I get both ends of the deal.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're gonna be very very important. 

Easton:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel looking back on a K-12 experience? What advice would you give to other students?

Easton:
I would say don't do what I did and start procrastinating and letting school work build up. Just get your schoolwork in while you can, so you can get good grades and it doesn't screw you over later. And also, just make the most of it because there are definitely times that I am gonna miss about. Cause I know school is definitely gonna be easier than going in the workforce and being an actual adult with responsibilities. So yeah, just make the most of being able to spend hours with your friends and doing, I guess, pretty easy school assignments and stuff like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great advice. Anyone you wanna give a shout out to?

Easton:
I would just say my friend Keegan. He was my only friend when I transferred to Alta. I was too scared to talk to anyone, but yeah, me and him became super great friends and like I said, we're still best friends to this day. And so I just really appreciate him being there for me. And yeah, we've been through a lot together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sounds like you have a lot of years of friendship together ahead of you.

Owen:
Yeah, that's right.

Anthony Godfrey:

All right. Well, it's great meeting you.

Easton:
You too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for the time.

Easton:
Yeah, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Anthony Godfrey:
We wish every student in the Graduating Class of 2022 the very best in the next chapter of their lives. We will always remember them as students who possess incredible strength and perseverance.

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