Author: communications

Stacy Evans:
So we try to help our students figure out what will work best.

Anthony Sandoval:
Support's amazing. It's very, very friendly, open arms, and they're here for you.

Stacy Evans:
Some of them end up doing live classes and are much more successful. Sometimes they do one of the online courses that has video embedded because that's a little easier for them, so we try to match it to the needs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Every year, hundreds of students in Jordan's School District are finding a personal path to success that works specifically for them, whether they are working toward a high school diploma or GED. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Southpointe Adult High School adapts education to meet individual needs by offering flexible schedules and the kind of learning that's making dreams come true for students 16 years and older who decide to enroll. Listen in and hear just one of many success stories happening at the school's JATC North Campus every single year.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at Southpointe High School talking with the principal about this program. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Southpointe.

Stacy Evans:
So I'm Stacy Evans and I am the administrator that's in charge of Southpointe Adult Education Program. Our adult education program is a little bit unique, but there are several of them throughout the state. Our program has options for students to earn a high school diploma. They can either do it by taking and passing the GED test or we also have credit options, so they can fill in the gaps in the transcript they already have and complete that. One of the really neat things about Southpointe is we have lots of different modalities for them to do that. They can work on in-person classes live in the evenings. They can use packet-based content and then test over that to make sure they've learned it. They can also do online options. We have a little bit of variety there. We use Edge Annuity software, but we also have our own in-house courses that we've done in Canvas.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like there's just a wide variety of options that can really match whatever an individual student prefers.

Stacy Evans:
Absolutely. I feel like that's our strength here at Southpointe. In addition, we also have English Language Acquisition courses. And a lot of our students will come in, so it would be newcomers to the country or people who just haven't had an opportunity to learn the language yet. They come to us, we offer four different levels, and so they can start wherever they happen to be. We assess and see where they need to be and then place them. It's a great opportunity for them to learn those English language skills that might be holding them back from other opportunities.

Anthony Godfrey:
How many people would you say you serve overall? How many students in the course of a year? And what percentage are participating online versus in person or a blend? You just give us a sense for how many people participate and in what ways?

Stacy Evans:
So it's typically about 1,500 students a year that enroll with us at various times.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is a lot.

Stacy Evans:
It is a lot. And sometimes they come and go. One of the other unique things about an adult education program is that the seasons of people's lives happen. Sometimes they'll work for a time and then they have to leave us for whatever reason. But many of them return and complete it. So they might have multiple enrollments, but they still do it and that's what's important.

Anthony Godfrey:
The flexibility on your part is a key to making sure that people who have things happening in their lives that may be getting in the way still can gain access over time.

Stacy Evans:
Yes, and we try to help our students figure out what will work best. I've had students that were trying to do all of it sort of at home on their own with these packet-based options and things like that. And they weren't being successful and so we talked about, “OK, what's a different way of doing the same thing?” Some of them end up doing live classes and are much more successful. Sometimes they do one of the online courses that has video embedded because that's a little easier for them. So we try to match it to the needs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's awesome. So 1500 over the course of the year, what does the faculty look like? You have teachers hired who teach elsewhere in the District. Talk to us about what your faculty looks like.

Stacy Evans:
Yes, that's exactly right. So we have one counselor/teacher that is always on staff in our learning center during the days. Then in the evenings we have some teachers who float over and staff the learning center so that students who are working on some of those other types of options that are not in person can come and get help and support when they need it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So float over means they come from the school where they've been teaching by day and then they come over to continue in the evening.

Stacy Evans:
Exactly right. And that's the same thing that happens with our evening live classes. We have those teachers, whether it's the English language learning classes or the high school diploma-based courses. Our teachers, they work in the District all day long and then they come over here and work with adults. And they seldom leave us because they absolutely love working with the adult learners. So it's really a win-win.

Anthony Godfrey:
Everyone here has chosen to be here and has a goal, wants to improve their situation.

Stacy Evans:
Yes, and I think that goal-oriented nature just really makes it a lot of fun to teach them because they really care about what they're trying to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I understand that you have had some students who are doing this much later in life. Is that right?

Stacy Evans:
Absolutely. Our oldest student currently is 84 years old.

Anthony Godfrey:
84 years. It's never too late. I think that's awesome. Talk to me more about her.

Stacy Evans:
Yeah, so she's great. She's been just coming over and taking some courses kind of at a slow pace, just wanting to get some of that done that she didn't get done initially and see if she can't earn that diploma and be a good example. She says she wants to be that example for her grandkids.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. That's really cool. I'm sure you have many stories over the years about people who have really had a second chance through this school.

Stacy Evans:
Absolutely. Yeah, we had another student that had come in. She was trying to do her nursing degree, but of course she can't start work on that nursing degree without the high school diploma. So she came to us with a real sense of urgency because it was so important to her to do that. She had children and needed to provide better for her family. And so we got her to the finish line with our diploma and then she went on to her program.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wonderful. What I remember, our completion rate is high. We have a high completion rate compared with the rest of the state. How do we compare?

Stacy Evans:
We do have a higher completion rate. Our students, because of I think the model that we have that's more flexible, it lends itself to students who can't necessarily go to an all-in-person program. And so that gives us the opportunity to help them get there a little more quickly, kind of like Anthony said earlier.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me what's the range? What's the shortest time some people spend with us and still earn a diploma? And what's the longest time that you've seen?

Stacy Evans:
That is a great question and I'm not really sure of the answer, honestly. I know that some though, well I could say, I know that some students do come over the summer, especially some of ours who were just seniors in high school, and they will come over to just finish it off because they didn't quite make it. And they'll finish before the end of the summer many times.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, good. Tell me who qualifies to come to Southpointe?

Stacy Evans:
So anyone 16 years of age and older who is not currently enrolled in a traditional K-12 high school can take part in our high school or GED program. And then for the English Language Acquisition Program, we start at age 18.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that's, if you want to learn English, age 18 is the starting age for that?

Stacy Evans:
Correct. We feel like philosophically it's better for them to stay with their K-12 program because there are a lot more supports that they can have in that program. So we encourage them at age 18 then if they still need to acquire English language, come see us.

Anthony Godfrey:
And for those who are listening, not sitting right here with us, you are located on the Jordan Applied Technology Center campus, which is on the Salt Lake Community College campus at about 9000 South and Bangerter.

Stacy Evans:
That's absolutely right. And we not only take students who live within the Jordan School District boundaries, but as an adult education program in the state of Utah, we all take students from anywhere in the surrounding area.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to us about funding sources for Southpointe High School.

Stacy Evans:
So Southpointe Adult High is funded entirely by a grant from the State Board of Education.

Anthony Godfrey:
You and I have talked previously about the value of the program. Tell us about the details of just what's required of a student if they decide they want to sign up.

Stacy Evans:
So when a student first comes to us to enroll, the only fee involved for high school or for GED is $25. And we just charge $25 per quarter, not per course. They can take as many courses as they can get through in that time frame. Then for the English Language Acquisition, they pay $25 per session. There are three sessions during the year and then another $25 textbook fee because we give them a consumable text.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that is a great bargain. $25 a quarter, as many classes as you can manage.

Stacy Evans:
Exactly. And I feel like, you know, that's a great opportunity.

Stacy Evans:
The other thing is, if somebody has a real hardship, we'll talk about it and look at whether that fee might be waivable.

Anthony Godfrey:
We'll include the details in the show notes, but tell us how does someone get signed up and what's the schedule for signing up for Southpointe?

Stacy Evans:
So because we have all those flexible options that can be started at any time, a student can come and sign up and enroll with us at any time for our high school courses or for the GED prep. Then for the English Language Acquisition program, our students come at the beginning of each session. So we have windows of time at the beginning of each of those three sessions. They all run during the regular school year. And the reason we only have three sessions is because what we have found is during those holiday periods of time, from about mid-November to end of, well, beginning of January, we don't, we're not able to get as many of those students coming. I don't know if they're going home to visit loved ones and then returning to us here in Utah, but whatever it is, we try to accommodate the needs and so we don't offer during that time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Talk to me about earning credit for classes that are required for graduation versus the GED route.

Stacy Evans:
Okay. So the GED route is basically a series of tests that students take. And there's one in each of the four core areas of mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. And so they have to pass each of those tests. So in our program, we give them an online resource that they can learn with. And then we have live sessions with teachers, with licensed teachers. And so during those sessions, they have an opportunity to work on content, ask questions. Sometimes students will work a lot independently and just come and ask their questions during those sessions. And some students will come and try to get as much as they can during the sessions themselves.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're either preparing for the tests that will allow you to get your GED, or you're taking courses that will fulfill the requirements you are missing in order to receive a diploma.

Stacy Evans:
Exactly. And they receive, when they receive a diploma for earning the credits, they actually earn a Southpointe Adult Education diploma. When they get the GED, they earn a diploma from the State.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see. Okay. Great. Well, I love that we have this option available. And it's been around for a long time, but we've appreciated having your school perspective as well as the administrator over the school here. And one last question. Do you have openings? Because it sounds like a great place to work.

Stacy Evans:
We don't currently have openings, but that does happen from time to time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Like you said, people stay once they come here.

Stacy Evans:
They do stay once they come here. And as far as our staff positions and those openings, those actually get posted in the same way that Jordan School District, all of the schools post.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great. Well, thank you very much. Thanks again for the time and for everything you do to support our community.

Stacy Evans:
Thank you. I appreciate you highlighting Southpointe.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we'll learn more about Southpointe Adult High School.

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

Female Voice:
They're out on the job in the rain, sleet, snow, ice, and in the sunshine. As Jordan School District students navigate their way to and from school every day, we are truly grateful for our city crossing guards, always vigilant and looking out for students to ensure everyone's safety. Because they work so hard protecting our kids, let's give those crossing guards a hand. If you're driving near or around schools, slow down, pay attention, watch for students and staff, and follow instructions from the school crossing guards. And know our cities are always looking to hire crossing guards. If you like kids and need some flexible hours, contact your local city and apply to be a crossing guard today. Together, let's make this a safe and successful school year.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with one of the students here at Southpointe. Introduce yourself, please.

Anthony Sandoval:
Hi, I'm Anthony Sandoval. I'm one of the students at Southpointe Adult High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you work for the District as well. Tell me about your job.

Anthony Sandoval:
I'm a janitor/utility specialist where I work on all sorts of things like fixing light bulbs, cleaning stairs, floors, vacuuming, and all that stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you kind of do whatever needs to be done when you're here. And what shift do you work?

Anthony Sandoval:
From one to five during the summer.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, how is it that you heard about Southpointe and decided to come here?

Anthony Sandoval:
Well, I dropped out of a different program and switched to this program and now I'm getting my stuff done faster here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to me about the support from teachers and from the school and helping you cross the finish line.

Anthony Sandoval:
I would say the support's amazing. It's very, very friendly, open arms, and they're here for you.

Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that you're graduating soon. Is that right? When is that taking place?

Anthony Sandoval:
A rough estimate of  December to January.

Anthony Godfrey:
What stands between you and completion?

Anthony Sandoval:
Math, language arts, and civics.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you've got a few of our core classes remaining?

Anthony Sandoval:
Two credits.

Anthony Godfrey:
Two credits. Okay, great. And how many credits have you already earned at Southpointe?

Anthony Sandoval:
A total of four.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that's awesome.

Anthony Sandoval:
I started at six and now I'm down to two.

Anthony Godfrey:
And do you live in Jordan School District?

Anthony Sandoval:
I live within the boundaries.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, awesome. I'm really excited to hear that you're not only an employee but a student as well. How has it felt to be a student at Southpointe?

Anthony Sandoval:
I'd say the experience is very awesome. Everyone's kind, friendly, and if you need help they're here for you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Of the classes you've taken here, what's your favorite?

Anthony Sandoval:
I would have to say history.

Anthony Godfrey:
History?

Student:
And science with Vanessa.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, awesome. Is there a type of science or an era of history that you're most interested in?

Anthony Sandoval:
Definitely World War II.

Anthony Godfrey:
World War II.  Yeah, there's a good group of you that are particularly interested in World War II. That's awesome. Great. What would you say to anyone considering whether they ought to come to Southpointe to complete their high school diploma?

Anthony Sandoval:
Just work hard and get your stuff done.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's worth trying out?

Anthony Sandoval:
It's worth trying out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, great. Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Anthony, and I appreciate you taking the time.

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

Transcription coming soon.

Transcription coming soon.

Transcription coming soon.

Bruce Cutler:
Kids who had even just a small scholarship, small money set aside for college, were something like 50-60% greater chance of going to college than if they didn't.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can all look back and identify someone who really believed in us and helped us get to where we are and this is an incredible example of someone investing in a student they may not even know very well early on to help them achieve their best possible success.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are in seventh grade and already working hard to make sure their future looks bright when it comes to pursuing higher education. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to a STEM My 529 Scholarship Awards dinner where some young students received $500 for their college savings accounts. Find out what the students did to earn the scholarships and how the accounts will help their families start building funds to pay for future enrollment in colleges, universities, or trade schools.

Anthony Godfrey:
We are here at the Jordan Learning Center talking about tonight's banquet and Bruce, I would like you to introduce yourself and talk about this event which you started years ago.

Bruce Cutler:
I did. Bruce Cutler, I was a software developer all of my, well, all of my major career life, graduated in computer science University of Utah and had some good jobs here in Utah and then became a member of the Jordan Education Foundation Board. Before that, I was a member of the Utah State Legislature and when I was up there, I was particularly interested in working with those in poverty. I was involved with the Intergenerational Poverty Commission, the group who's trying to stop poverty by stopping the advance of children into poverty that not following their parents. One of the studies that was done and I think it was done out of California as I recall, but one of the things that they discovered was that kids who had even just a small scholarship, small money set aside for college, were something like 50-60 percent greater chance of going to college than if they didn't. And so I thought, gee, at that point I was actually on the Canyons Foundation Board, and we actually started this in Canyons before I moved out here. But it was a concept is give a kid who's in the seventh grade, they've still got six years of school, well five years because they're graduating from then, and then give them a small scholarship and it put into the 529 Plan where it can take care of the investing of that and say, you know, “Here's some money set aside for you at this early age so that you can go to college.” You have to get some kind of post-high school education and of course we didn't know, we don't know. I don't think where first group has gotten through yet. I think they may be seniors now but I'm not sure. Yeah. So we thought we'd just try it out and we'll see whether it actually happens or not, but so far.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right, that's right. Now for those who may not understand, will you describe what a My 529 Account does?

Bruce Cutler:
My 529 Account is a state, is a national, a federal program and it allows parents particularly, to be able to invest money and set it aside for use of post-high school education. And so the My 529 is the Utah portion of that, the Utah-based portion of the 529 and so they invested in various and sundry investments so that by the time these kids are ready to go to college, it's there for them and they can use it on any kind of post-high school education.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you have sought donors to essentially sponsor a student's education in seventh grade.

Bruce Cutler:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
So instead of waiting to see if they did well, you invest in them early on to help ensure that they do well because they know, hey there's someone outside of my family who has no expectation to cheer for me that has invested, literally invested in me and I better live up to that.

Bruce Cutler:
Yep. It's kind of the story of planting a tree that somebody else is gonna sit in the shade of. So we're investing this money in these kids and we don't know whether they're gonna do well or not, but analysis has proven that yeah they will, they will do well and they will go on and get some kind of post-high school education. I was talking to a friend of mine who was just a daughter was one of the first recipients and he says, “Yeah, when I was talking to my daughter initially she wanted to go into some kind of beauty school but then she got this scholarship.” She says, “Well, maybe I do want to consider going into some kind of a technology instead,” and so she changed her direction and so we'll see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. That's already a great result, hearing that it has had such an impact on her and when you think about it most of us don't want to let people down. We want to live up to people's expectations, and we know that teacher expectations are a key element of a student's success. If the teacher expects you to learn and expects you to do well and has high expectations, high standards, then students are much more likely to rise to those and I think this is a monetary version of that where it's and it's the community it's why I talk about a lot with the Foundation, that when it's someone outside of your family, outside of the organization that's cheering for you that's not really required to as a part of their job or as their family responsibility just they believe in these students and they are investing in the community I think it goes a very long way.

Bruce Cutler:
Absolutely.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why do you think seventh grade is the right time to invest in students like this?

Bruce Cutler:
Well, they're out of elementary school they're into middle school or into junior high school and so it's a different environment now and they're now starting to say, “Oh okay this is this is real.” I've got elementary school, you just get through it but now I'm getting into middle school or into junior high and so they're starting to think just a little bit different but there's so many challenges between the point of seventh grade before they get into high school and tenth grade that can come along and derail them. It's best to catch them when they're first into that middle school junior high age and get them thinking about it that they hadn't even thought of before. So the better the sooner we catch them once they're into that middle school then the chances are pretty good they're gonna stick with it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well in middle school they're trying to create their identity they're making choices and they are starting to look more toward the future. They start to see, “oh, the five-year calendar includes my graduation date so maybe I need to start thinking about things.” So often we are really just trying to help students imagine what they could achieve and reach for something beyond just what's right in front of them and I think this is an incredible way of doing that. I've had the opportunity to speak to these groups and I love we're at the banquet tonight, the dinner where we kind of launch that and honor those who are receiving the scholarship and it's a parent or parents with the student and I love seeing the family's reaction to this. What family reactions have you seen over the years and what reactions have you heard from donors?

Bruce Cutler:
I think one of the things that I've seen is parents who say, “You know, I never went to college and to see my daughter or my son now having the money set aside to go to college, something I never did, I couldn't do. But now I can see my daughter or my son being able to do what I always wanted to do.” That's a great thing, great progress.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well for those who've watched The Office this is the opposite of Scott's Tots where he promises to pay for their college and then does not deliver. This is a promise that sticks and it's not paying for all of college but like you said it's a scholarship that gives that bump, that rocket fuel as I like to say, to say, “Hey, wait a minute, people believe in me and they want me to do well and they're supporting that.”

Bruce Cutler:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, Bruce, I can't thank you enough. I was so excited to hear that you were gonna be here tonight and I get to talk with you.

Bruce Cutler:
Well thank you. It's always good to talk to you. Although you're not on our board at this point, you've been a huge impact and I always thank you I've been impressed with how eager you were for opportunities. I remember on numerous occasions you talking to me saying, “We can do more, how else can we get into schools?” So thank you for being so dedicated for so many years.

Bruce Cutler:
My pleasure, thank you very much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with the people associated with the STEM My 529 Scholarship awards.

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

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

Anthony Godfrey:
Talking now with a principal in our district and a student who have seen the impact of this My 529 program. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the impact you've seen from this.

Spencer Campbell:
My name is Spencer Campbell. I'm the principal of Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and one of the things that I've seen helps students and helps them grow is a lot of students have aptitude for technology or robotics or CTE and the scholarship, the 529 scholarship, helps them on that path and so as they move through middle school onto high school whether it's J Tech or another program it helps them fund that potential college funding when they get to college and it really helps kids in their passion which is usually in the CTE field.

Alex Rose:
My name is Alex Rose. I am a student at Kelsey Peak. I am very interested in computers. I love working with my hands, seeing how things work, coding. I love technology, and like I said earlier, working with my hands.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like about being at Kelsey Peak?

Alex Rose:
Oh, I love being asynchronous at Kelsey Peak because it helps me work at my own pace, because I do have some problems, and public school was really difficult for me. So it's great to be at Kelsey Peak where I can work at my own pace.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic. What does it mean to have someone invest in you through this scholarship?

Alex Rose:
Honestly, pretty exciting because and also a little scary, because it's great. Don't get me wrong I love this that someone has like seen that I could probably do something great, but also it's kind of scary now that I have their expectations laying on my shoulders.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well I think you're gonna do a very, very good job with the help of Kelsey Peak and some great teachers and administrators, and counselors along the way. You know what you love, and you're working hard toward it, so I think that's awesome and I love that someone sees that in you already, that you have this potential like you said to do something great. So congratulations on receiving this.

Alex Rose:
Thank you. Thank you a lot. It means a lot to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Mr. Campbell tell us what it means to have someone outside of the organization and outside of a student's family believe in them and literally invest in them so early.

Spencer Campbell:
I think it's absolutely fantastic not only as a parent but as a principal and we can find our students strengths and then reward them for the things that they are good at especially when it's an academic content or something that might go under the radar a little bit. I think it's great that you know people donate to the 529 and then we can have them build into that program when they get to college and their future path.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to those who are considering whether they want to donate or whether they would want to be part of a program like this?

Spencer Campbell:
Just do it. You're gonna bless kids’ lives and I think that every student that is here tonight has shown a passion in a different aptitude whether that's coding or technology or robotics or you know other areas in CTE. You're helping build the future for students that will end up changing the world in those fields which is super awesome to think about but also know on the backend that you've donated to that progress and the future.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can all look back and identify someone who really believed in us and helped us get to where we are. This is an incredible example of someone investing in a student they may not even know very well early on to help them achieve their best possible success. Tell me, you talked about what you're interested in, what do you want to do as a career?

Alex Rose:
Oh boy there's a lot that I want to do such as things like welding and forging sounds very fun to do, like it would help me work with my hands and things. Also, coding or working with computers. It would also be great like a developer of some kind that gets to work with code and sees what you make come to life. That's just really cool to see.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well you have a lot of opportunities ahead of you and even more with this My 529 scholarship. Thank you both for talking with me and we'll see out there.

Both:
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 out there.