It is something students, teachers, staff, and invited guests will likely remember for a lifetime.
On this episode of the Supercast, hear how a visit to Jordan School District by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor left a lasting impact on the lives of people she met, even inspiring one student to chase her dream of going to law school and following in the footsteps of Justice Sotomayor.
Audio Transcription
Teacher:
I was in complete shock. Like our school, my students, my 14-year-olds, are going to do a performance for her. I mean, I had confidence in the kids, but it was really exciting and a big honor.
Student:
She said, you should go to law school. And at that moment, I hadn't even heard the fact that she said that. I actually just was like so in the zone by answering and like, I gotta be good. Like this is the Supreme Court Justice.
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Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is something students, teachers, staff, and invited guests will likely remember for a lifetime. On this episode of the Supercast, hear how a visit to Jordan School District by United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor left a lasting impact on the lives of the people she met, even inspiring one student to chase her dream of going to law school and following in the footsteps of Justice Sotomayor.
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Anthony Godfrey
We're talking with some of the people that were involved directly with US Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's visit. And today we are at Fort Herriman Middle School to talk with a teacher who had a rare opportunity with the Justice. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what happened.
Teacher:
Yeah, my name is Emma Van de Graaff and I teach eighth grade US history here at Fort Herriman. And this summer I got a call saying, “Hey, we have a really special VIP person coming, and we'd love to have your students join and have your students give their speeches that they did for this project we do called ‘We the People’ and would we be interested?” And of course, when I heard what it was and who it was, absolutely, I was like, “Yes, they will present. I will speak on behalf of them. We are excited to be here and ready to go.”
Anthony Godfrey
And we loved that you were so eager to do it even before you knew all the details about the visit. For those who may not have listened to a previous Supercast episode about We the People, talk about that competition and what it involves and what it means to the kids.
Teacher:
So ‘We the People’ is a nationwide program. Not every state or every school necessarily participates in it. We have been doing it here at Fort Herriman for the past couple of years. We have all of our eighth graders participate. It is basically a mock congressional hearing where each group is given a different topic about the Constitution and they prepare a four-minute speech on that topic and then after they perform their speech, judges will ask them follow-up questions about their topic and they're expected to have evidence from Supreme Court cases, primary sources, current events, all of these different modes of information to back up their opinion. And it really is quite impressive to see eighth graders get this level of depth of knowledge about the Constitution.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's impressive and I'm excited that we do it in so many schools in Jordan School District. You've had great success with this group of students. Talk about that, what happened last year.
Teacher:
Yeah, these students worked really, really hard and did a phenomenal job. So we were able to go to the state competition and this was the first year our school placed first in the state competition. And they were excited. A couple of our top groups got, our top group got 100% like a full perfect score. They did a really good job of just being personable and relating all of these constitutional ideas and theories and court cases to themselves. And the other groups were just so intelligent and so engaged and passionate about what they were talking about. I think that really carried them through.
Anthony Godfrey:
What was it like when you heard who was coming and who you would be doing this for?
Teacher:
I was in complete shock. When they first told me a Supreme Court Justice, I at first assumed a Utah Supreme Court Justice, which is cool. But then when they told me, no, a federal Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, I kind of like just was in shock. Like our school, my students, my 14-year-olds are going to do a performance for her? I mean, I had confidence in the kids but it was kind of overwhelming but also really exciting and a big honor.
Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to us about that day and the impact afterward on you and on your students.
Teacher:
I think what was so cool about it, there's a few different things. First of all, I kept telling my students, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You are never gonna have a chance to be this close like face to face and just have a real conversation with a Supreme Court Justice. And I wanted them to remember this moment, realize how important it is because I love eighth graders, but sometimes they don't grasp how big of a deal something actually is. And for my students that were presenting, at first they said, “Yeah, absolutely we'll do it.” And as I got closer and closer, they started to be like, “Wait, this is a big deal. Like I am presenting in front of a Supreme Court Justice.”
Anthony Godfrey:
You’re right.
Teacher:
Yeah, and so I told all of them, I was like, “This needs to be in a college application essay for you, like this is a pretty big deal.” And I think they were touched. And one of her main messages was, “You can be whoever you want to be, you can become whoever you want to become.” And I hope that is what students took home from her.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I could see the impact. I got to see that up close. I was on stage with her as we watched your students perform. And it was really incredible. I was very proud of the work that you and your students had done. And just how prepared they are for that day on stage, but also just beyond middle school and beyond their education. Just . . . they're gaining great experiences because of the time you're putting in and the opportunities you're making available to them. So thank you for that.
Teacher:
Thank you. No, I really think ‘We the People’ honestly sets them up to become great citizens. And I truly think that in many ways they have learned and have a greater understanding than many adults in our country do. So, I was glad they were able to kind of show off and bring back a little spotlight to them.
Anthony Godfrey:
This was not just to a US Supreme Court Justice, but there were about a thousand students, high school and middle school there in the audience, which has added pressure on your students. So, it was particularly impressive that they did so well.
Teacher:
They were nervous. You could tell they definitely had, were a little anxious for it to start, but they had practiced this so many times and had prepped at so many different levels the previous spring that I knew they were ready. I kept telling them they were ready. And I told them if they made a mistake on their speech, no one was gonna even know.
Anthony Godfrey:
You know what? I couldn't tell they were nervous, and I heard zero mistakes. It was amazing.
Teacher:
Yeah, they did phenomenal.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you so much for the extra work you do to make this possible, and great things are ahead.
Teacher:
Thank you.
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Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with one of the students who was on stage with Justice Sotomayor. Tell us your name and a little bit about your interaction with her.
Student:
My name's Brecklyn Coleman and I got the opportunity to go and present in front of Justice Sotomayor about a ‘We the People’ case that I got to go and present at a state comp and I won the competition. It was about freedom of speech and it was a really cool opportunity that nothing honestly could have prepared me for.
Anthony Godfrey:
You and your team gave Justice Sotomayor and me an opportunity to ask you questions. And I was scrambling like, how can I think of a question that's worthy of how well they've prepared? And she asked you a question that you answered very, very well. Tell us about that.
Student:
They asked me a question about how the school can implement themselves in a situation where a student athlete says something rude outside of the school on a group chat about the coach and then goes back and all the girls are angry at the coach because she went on and said something rude outside of the school environment. And I went on to express how freedom of speech can protect that right, but not if it implements itself in the school environment because that's the coach's job, is to keep the education well, keep everything just in line, and make sure that the school environment and the learning environment doesn't get taken advantage of or changed.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we have dealt with issues like this, and you absolutely read my mind, and you said exactly the right answer about the school only being able to get involved if it's a disruption to the learning environment. And what did Justice Sotomayor say in response when you gave this complete, accurate, well-thought-out answer?
Student:
She said, "You should go to law school." And at that moment, I hadn't even heard the fact that she said that. I actually just was so in the zone with my answering and I gotta be good. This is the Supreme Court Justice. My answer has to be perfect. This has to be the best thing I've ever said. And I didn't even hear the fact that she said that. So then I went backstage afterward and my whole team was like, "She just told you to go to law school." And I was like, "Oh my gosh, she did." So it was kind of just this crazy moment afterward that I was like, "Dang."
Anthony Godfrey:
Actually, I have to correct you on one point. Justice Sotomayor said, "You need to go to law school." And she meant it, I could tell she meant it. So what were you planning before you heard this and what are you planning now?
Student:
I was planning on going to law school before I heard this. And then I also play like a bunch of sports. So I do CrossFit. So that's like lifting, calisthenics, and just a full thing of working out. So I wanna go pro in that sport. And then I plan afterward to go to law school after I attempt that dream.
Anthony Godfrey:
That sounds like an incredible combination. And I'm sure you're gonna be successful at whatever you try. I was very impressed with you and your teammates and your teacher and all the work everybody did to prepare. But especially on stage, in front of high school and middle school students and the US Supreme Court Justice, to have such calm and such a great answer is super impressive. So, I'm excited to see your career in the future. I know you have great things ahead. And congratulations on having this incredible interaction.
Student:
Thank you so much.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we'll hear two selections that the Vanguard Jazz Band from Mountain Ridge High School played for Justice Sotomayor.
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Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
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Female Voice:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District. And
we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Jordan District. We can't wait to connect.
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Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Cris Stiles, the Director of Bands here at Mountain Ridge High School. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about that night.
Band Director:
Yeah, yeah, I'm Cris Stiles. I've been in the District for about five years now, teaching here at Mountain Ridge. That was such a surreal night. I'm still sort of pondering on what we actually saw and got to hear. She was such a classy and well-articulated woman. And the things she talked about from her role on the Supreme Court to her book. I mean, all of it was just inspiring from top to finish. To really get to play for her and play some tunes that were familiar so she felt comfortable in the space was sort of our whole intent of choosing the literature that we played. Kids played great, she sang along, and I could tell she was touched that we had gone out of our way to find some music that would be familiar to her.
Anthony Godfrey:
She was definitely moved by the performance and the effort that went into preparing songs for her that were familiar. And like you said, it's a really important point. You were making her feel welcome and comfortable. And it was a great way to start off the evening. This was the fireside chat where we had about a thousand employees and their guests along with a few students to visit with Justice Sotomayor. You prepped this very, very rapidly. This is the first week of September. And when we knew that was her availability, we thought, well, student performances, there's not gonna be a lot of lead up time. So tell me about that accelerated process.
Band Director:
Yeah, yeah, two weeks to prepare for a concert is not a whole lot of time, but the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra here at Mountain Ridge, that's sort of what we do. We're the gigging band here on campus. And we put on a gala, a two-night catered meal for a bunch of guests that we put together after the holiday break in January and February. So, we had a month to learn 30 tunes. So learning fast and getting it done is not uncommon for this group. So, I'm grateful in a lot of ways they're the most uniquely suited to learn and do the thing. But yeah, putting it together in two weeks, it was a lot of like, hey, we don't have time. You're not gonna be able to learn this during class, please pick it up at home, do the thing. But we tried to pick literature that was both accessible to play as well as exciting to the listener. So I think a good example of that would be “The Notorious RBG.”
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, tell us about that selection.
Band Director:
Yeah, yeah, the tune that honors the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tune originally written for jazz educators at the JE and the Jazz Educator Network Conference in New Orleans. But it's not terribly difficult. It was designed to sort of be something you could read in like one sitting for all these professional educators that go to the conference. They sort of handed it out, and they played it on the spot. So it's got this cool jazz hip hop infusion to it. And I think the kids, it took them a minute to sort of figure out the groove and what was going on. But as soon as it locked in, they were very . . . their ability to read it was right on the ball.
Anthony Godfrey:
You also performed an anthem that is really important to her. It's an unofficial anthem, but it's the anthem of the New York Yankees really, because she's a huge Yankees fan. And if you do your research, she is credited with saving baseball at one point. But anyway, you selected a number of songs that were important to her. Talk to us about that selection.
Band Director:
Yeah, the unofficial winning anthem, when the Yankees win, they play the theme from “New York, New York,” of course made famous by Frank Sinatra. And that was just an easy tune to put together 'cause the kids know it and they could sing it along. We wanted to make sure that we played something New York. No issues, you know, grew up in the Bronx. There's not like a Bronx anthem. There's nothing specifically for the north side of the island.
Anthony Godfrey:
There are a few, but they probably aren't compatible with jazz band performance.
Band Director:
Yeah, yeah, maybe it's hip hop tunes that we could have pulled out, but not here for this instrumentation. But yeah, the Yankees anthem was easy. And then knowing that her parents were from Puerto Rico and had chose to come over and move on to the mainland, "En Mi Viejo San Juan", is sort of the unofficial anthem for those that have moved from Puerto Rico to the mainland.
Anthony Godfrey:
It was such a high for her and such a great performance. She came up on stage and had to have her picture with the jazz band, which was really exciting. And when I heard the research you had done to choose these selections for the band to perform, I went back and I thought, I need to do some more research before I interview her on stage. So you inspired me to dig even a little deeper into her life to be sure I was prepared for that. So, I appreciate the extra effort and that you really leapt into action with all the students to make it such a memorable night for her and for all of us who were there. What's coming up next with the Vanguard Jazz Group?
Band Director:
Let's see, we have our fall concert in October. We'll be performing at the Essentially Ellington Festival at Brigham Young University, which is a big regional festival run by the guys in New York that run Jazz at Lincoln Center. We have region and state jazz that we've qualified for for the last three years. So we're hoping to get that done again, as well as our own, like I mentioned beforehand, our Valentine's Gala in February, our two-night catered meal that is 90 minutes of live jazz with our jazz orchestra and our jazz choir. Each member of the jazz choir gets a solo. So the band gets to play with the vocalist basically all night long, and we get decent catering. So the meal's tasty and the music is good. We turn the lights down real low in the tech atrium and put up a tablecloth on the tables, make it nice and classy and exciting.
Anthony Godfrey:
So lots of opportunities to experience these great performances. Check out the Mountain Ridge website. We'll put a link in the bio and anyway.
Band Director:
Perfect, we'd love to see you there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thanks again. And we look forward to future performances this year.
Band Director:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're in the hallway now outside of the practice room at Mountain Ridge High School with two of the students that are part of the jazz band that performed for United States Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor. Thanks for talking with us. Introduce yourselves.
Student:
I'm Hewston Knotwell. I play the bass bone.
Student:
I'm James McFarland and I am the lead trumpet.
Anthony Godfrey:
You play the bass bone?
Student:
Yeah, the bass trombone.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the bass bone. That sounds, when you leave the ‘trom’ off, the bone sounds a lot better. That's really cool. Tell me, what was it like playing for Justice Sotomayor?
Student:
It was really cool. Like, I know I'm probably never gonna get, never going to be able to do it again. Like, I've never even thought that was a possibility to play for a United States Supreme Court Justice. So, it was really cool just like having her there in general and having that opportunity.
Anthony Godfrey:
Did it add any nerves to be playing for her?
Student:
Oh yeah, I'm gonna be 100% honest. I was a nervous wreck. Yeah, before I was sweating up a storm, it was disgusting.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's, I guess as it should be, before a big performance, you're getting focused. But you guys kept everyone entertained. They had to come through security. So people were arriving early. So you had a long warm-up before she came in and you got to play for about an hour. I love that people got to see you play and hear you play for that long. People from the community, teachers from other schools that might not otherwise get to hear you play. Tell me what that was like to get to play for an audience like that.
Student:
I mean, that's normally what we do. We do a lot of gigs that are background music for events.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you do that often, but how does it switch? How does the feeling switch when she comes in?
Student:
Oh, it was completely different performance.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.
Student:
Like having, just having her there in general is like, okay, wow, we really need to step up.
Student:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
I was really impressed that you pulled off these very specific tunes that were just for her with such a short time. This was the first week of September that she visited. So, what was it like preparing for that?
Student:
I did a lot of personal practice. I would go home after school and I would probably practice for 30 minutes to an hour every day. So, it was definitely like self-reliant. You have to keep the arm in the system or else you wouldn't have put on such a performance.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's something I always think about when I see live musicians perform. I think how many hours of personal practice time were required to make that happen. And since you weren't just pulling things out of the repertoire and it was so early in the school year, that just required a different level of focus.
Student:
As soon as we got there, like I do marching band over the summer. So, one of our school administrators came in and was like, we need a jazz band to play on September 3rd. It was two weeks from that day. So, it was a little bit stressful getting it all together. And our director was also feeling it. He was like, “Oh my gosh, what are we gonna do?”
Anthony Godfrey:
I was just on the side of the stage and I got to watch her reaction as you played this song that meant so much to her. Tell us about the background of that song.
Student:
So in "En Mi Viejo San Juan", our director told us that it was one of the songs that Supreme Court Justice had openly cried about and it's Puerto Rico's anthem.
Anthony Godfrey:
It means a lot to her and her family and I could see that in her reaction because I was standing on the side of the stage and got to watch that. So, well, I was very proud of your performance. I was so thrilled that she got to hear that and that you picked songs just for her. That's an important part of that visit and a memory that will last for a long time for me. So, thank you for all of the effort you put in for doing such a great job.
Student:
Thank you for the opportunity. It was really cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now we get to actually listen to performances from the jazz band. Tell us about the two performances we're about to hear.
Band Director:
Yeah, so the two songs that we're gonna play for you today are from the selections we chose for the night for the Supreme Court Justice. Of course, “The Notorious RBG,” a theme honoring the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg as well as "En Mi Viejo San Juan."
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, thank you.
(jazz music)
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.
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