Author: communications

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are elementary school students who simply love storytelling and getting in front of the microphone to share their stories with everyone who will listen.

On this episode of the Supercast, we head to Falcon Ridge Elementary School where a student-produced podcast called The Junior Falcons is giving everyone involved the opportunity to tell stories in a way that is fun and educational, fostering new skills that they can take into future careers.

Find out what happens when we show up to record a podcast during the Junior Falcons podcast.

We're at Falcon Ridge talking with Principal Theresa Christensen. I'm about to go on your student podcast.

Theresa Christensen:
Yes, we're excited.

Antony Godfrey:
Tell me about the podcast.

Theresa Christensen:
Well, so it started three years ago. We had some students that were outside doing interviews on the playground and they wanted to do a podcast and came and said, "Can we do a podcast?" And I had no idea how to do it. Went to a training in St. George and they said, "Just do it." So I bought an old mic and we just started a podcast. So we've actually grown from there and it's been something we've done every year with our fifth and sixth grade students.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it began as an underground unauthorized podcast.

Theresa Christensen:
Yes, yes it was.

And it grew into a fully endorsed podcast.

Theresa Christensen:
Yes, one where we can control a little bit more of what's happening.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what were the interviews about?

Theresa Christensen:
They were interviewing other students, asking what they were doing. I said, "Let's take this on a grander scale." And they started interviewing faculty. They've gone out and interviewed people in the community, things that they're fascinated about. They've had a couple of podcasts where they've had discussions over movies they've wanted to see or they did a poll about what kind of a lunchtime should we have? Should we have recess first? So it's really something that's grown from what the students want to talk about.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm trying to remember whether we had a podcast at my elementary in the 70s. No, I don't think we did.

Theresa Christensen:
I didn't have one in mine either.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, it's really exciting and it's a great way for them to engage with other students, faculty members, and to have their voice be heard.

Theresa Christensen:
And do research. They've researched things out and they search for things to share in the community.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now how do students get the opportunity to be part of the podcast crew?

Theresa Christensen:
So in the beginning it was a group of boys that came to me. So that first year I said, "Hey, let's do it," and brought them in. And then the next year they wanted to really continue the podcast. They'd moved on to seventh grade and so we did interviews and we had applications come in. They did interviews with us and basically, they conducted a podcast of us and did interview questions. We kind of based it off of their ability to ask questions, to carry a conversation, and do research. So this year these four students are the ones that were chosen to be our podcast team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it pretty competitive?

Theresa Christensen:
Yeah, actually it was. It was really, it's really hard to narrow it down when you've got so many good candidates. Ashlin is the only one that was on last year as a fifth grader and she's on this year as a sixth grader and then the other three are all new.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me how frequently does the podcast get posted?

Theresa Christensen:
We try to do it once a week, but you know obviously with breaks and things in there, but we at least have two or three podcasts a month.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. That's frequent. I know personally that that takes a lot of work.

Theresa Christensen:
It does. And it's a lot of work on the kids part as well because they're the ones that have to come up with a podcast every single week and who are they going to interview and questions and that type of thing. So they've been awesome about it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think I'm in for some tough questions?

Theresa Christensen:
I think you are in for some tough questions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess.

Theresa Christensen:
Okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, awesome.

Mariah Stout:
Soundcheck just to make sure that our mics are on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Am I in the right spot?

Mariah Stout:
Yep, go ahead and just start whatever you want to say.

Anthony Godfrey:
Care Bear, Care Bear, Care Bear.

Mariah Stout:
Perfect. So we're good to go. You guys already figured out who's doing your intro, who's doing your outro?

Kambri:
Yeah, so Ashlin's doing intro, he's doing outro.

Mariah Stout:
Okay, and Alex has got our outro. Fantastic. Okay, and we know the order where we're doing our quick intro, introducing ourselves and then going around the circle. Perfect. You guys ready? Three, two,

Ashlin:
Welcome, Junior Falcons. Today we are, we will be interviewing our superintendent, Mr. Godfrey. Let's get into it then. So Mr. Godfrey, how long have you been being a superintendent?

Anthony Godfrey:
This is my fifth year as superintendent. I started in 2019.

We're talking now with the Junior Falcon podcasters who just put me through an excellent interview. Introduce yourselves and just say what grade you're in.

Evodio:
My name is Evodio, I'm in fifth grade.

Alex:
Alex and I'm in fifth grade.

Kambri:
My name is Kambri and I'm in fifth grade.

Ashlin:
My name is Ashlin and I'm in sixth grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, we've got fifth and sixth graders here. I'm so impressed. You guys have a great setup here and you have great chemistry. You're able to play off of each other and kind of signal to each other and keep the flow of the podcast going. And I think we've been doing it. This is my fifth year podcasting but the school's been doing a podcast for about three years now and I think it's super cool that you guys do this. Tell me what made you want to be a part of this podcast. I know there's a whole tryout and everything. Tell me what made you want to be a part of the podcast.

Ashlin:
So what made me want to be a part of the podcast is I'm a huge talker. I love talking and I like to get to know people and that's pretty much it. I wanted to get to know like people in younger grades than me but not at the time. But now I get to know people in younger grades than me like these people, lovely people.

Alex:
I kind of came here for the same reason Ashlin did because I love talking and I just wanted to meet some new people. But another reason is because my parents thought it would be a good idea since when I get home I don't really do anything. So it's kind of like just an after-school thing for me to do but I love it and I'm kind of glad I did sign up and made it onto the team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great.

Kambri:
I wanted to be on podcasts because I am a huge talker like they both said. But I also have like the kind of personality where you are curious about random things and you ask the randomest questions but not everyone has the answer to. But it's cool finding people that do have the answer too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great.

Evodio:
The reason I joined podcast is because I was in a joint student council but they already empty other spots. That's why I joined podcast.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you thought 'well, student council is full I'm going with the podcast.' Okay great. What do you love most about being able to be on a podcast here at your elementary school?

Ashlin:
What I love about being on a podcast at my own elementary school- woah, I'm almost sang the ABCs- is like I don't know, I kind of want to have a podcast when I'm older and just like talk about stuff random topics that I'm curious about and this is where I can kind of start it and maybe carry it on.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is maybe the start of something even bigger down the road.

Kambri:
So what I like most about podcast is probably when we get to have new people come in that I've never met before and I just have a lot of questions and you can kind of think of your own stuff rather than having someone really tell you what to do, and that's a really big part for me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great because the conversation kind of flows naturally and you're able to just ask questions as they come.

Alex:
Yeah I really joined because I just I wanted to meet new people and make some new friends but it was also because I also kind of thought that maybe if I did this I could start my own podcast and maybe make it a little bit bigger.

Evodio:
I like podcast because I get to know new people like them and some kids in my class.

Anthony Godfrey:
So not just meeting the people that you get to make the podcast with but also the people that you get to interview.

Students:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it easier to talk to people now that you've been talking to people all year for the podcast? Is it easier to walk up and talk to people that you don't know?

Ashlin:
Well, I think it's easier sitting down and having a podcast because then you're like face to face like talking and you can ask them questions that you normally wouldn't ask about them when you just randomly walk up to them. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it gives you an excuse to talk to new people.

Ashlin:
Yeah.

Alex:
It makes it so they can’t run away.

Ashlin:
That's true.

Anthony Godfrey:
What have you learned from being part of the podcast?

Alex:
I learned about conversation threads and how if you give just one idea for a conversation that conversation won't last that long. So you want to give more parts of the conversation, more like ideas for them to talk about with the conversation.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you did that with me and you did a great job of it.

Evodio:
My friend here stole all my ideas I was going to say.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know that does happen.

Kambri:
It's like thinking of new questions or questions to ask on this box. I wasn't here last week to plan. So I think it gives me like I can be more creative and go like out of the box that I'm usually in and like find different things to ask and follow-up questions are huge on our podcast.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like that. A good follow-up question is as important as an initial question sometimes even more so. But what is one of your favorite interviews?

Ashlin:
This was kind of a long time ago. I'm not really sure but I don't know if we were interviewing anybody. I think we were just like starting the podcast and there was this kid named Cole and there's this one episode that he opened the door to leave and it made this huge creaking sound and the mics picked it up and it was so funny. We all just like laughed. That's like one of my favorites.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did that make it a scary episode?

Ashlin:
No, it wasn't scary.

Anthony Godfrey:
It wasn’t like this creepy creak.

Ashlin:
He was trying to open it slow so it wouldn't make a noise but we found out opening it faster would not let it not make a noise.

Anthony Godfrey:
Science- you learn things. It's those unexpected moments it sounds like that have been really fun. How about for you?

Alex:
My favorite episode wasn't that long ago but was when we interviewed one of the newer teachers to the school. Her name was Mrs. Sarah and she just had a lot of really funny things to say and we talked about her dog. And she was a huge Swiftie, so we talked about that and just some of the things she was doing in her class.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great so you got to know a new teacher and her dog.

Evodio:
Mine is this one. I get to talk to you.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was hoping that one of you would say this was your favorite. Thank you for backing me up. Now this has been a blast for me to get to talk with each of you and you're naturals. You are all so good at this so whatever ambition you have beyond this I'm sure you're going to be successful at it. I love the idea that you just want to get to know other people through the podcast. That's really it. If you're curious about other people that's that's where you're successful as a podcaster I think.

Kambri:
I also think it like makes you step out of your comfort zone if you're not one that like really likes to talk to other people but you like to talk. It gives like it makes you step out of your comfort zone trying something new.

Anthony Godfrey:
You guys are awesome. I'm so impressed and thank you very much for having me on your podcast. It's an honor. If people want to listen to your podcast which I'm sure they do after hearing this one, where do they go? How do they find your podcast?

Ashlin:
So you can go on Spotify and just type up the Junior Falcons podcast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Ashlin:
Falcon Ridge Junior Falcons podcast. But you can just look up there and you can either search for each season. So you can either go to one of our older seasons or this season which is a newer season. Newest season.

Alex:
I'm just saying while you're there you should just like follow us on Spotify. You should.

Anthony Godfrey:
So don't just listen. Follow.

Alex:
You're so close. You're already playing it. You can just hit it one more time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hit that follow button. Be part of the community.

Alex:
And you get you can get notified when we post our new episodes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're all fantastic. I'm so impressed. And if I ever need a co-host I have a deep bench right here. All right. Thanks. Thanks a lot for spending time with me. I appreciate you staying after school and talking with me. Good luck with the podcast going forward and you've got at least one new listener. That's me.

Stay with us when we come back. We talk with the advisor for the Junior Falcons podcast.

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Mariah Stout, one of the fourth-grade teachers here at Falcon Ridge and the podcast advisor. Thanks for giving us this opportunity.

Mariah Stout:
Yeah. Oh, thank you we're super excited to have this to talk with you and the kids were super excited. We're so glad that we were able to be on your podcast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I loved being on theirs. They're very impressive. Tell me about the progress they've made since they first auditioned and were chosen.

Mariah Stout:
So huge gains. So what's cool is that when they first come do their podcast tryout, you see them one on one. What's interesting is then from there they get put into groups and then they play off of each other. It's interesting because you'll get kids- they pair up and they're like, “Oh, I don't really know you very well”. So at first, when you listen at the very beginning, you can hear there's a little bit of awkwardness because it's just everybody's trying to feel each other out. But then from there, we kind of talk about what were some good things that happened and things that they hear that “Oh, yeah, we can work on that.”

But also we look at different examples of other podcasts. And even some videos of like how to have a conversation. It's great because, as you know, it's like Alex talked about conversational threads. So one of the videos that we watched about how to have a conversation and even encouraging them like, “Hey, go practice with your friends, go practice with family.” And they've made huge gains.

You probably noticed that some of them were pointing at each other like, ‘Oh, hey, I'm gonna ask the next question’. Because we’ve had a group that's like, ‘Oh, we don't want to talk over each other. So that's what we're going to do so that we don't.’ So it's it's been great, because I don't tell them explicitly what to do. They're the ones who come up with that. Or if there's something where I'm like, “Oh, yeah, that's something that we can work on.” We'll talk about it, we'll see videos, we'll practice with each other. Then the next time they're able to apply it, and it's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
They really do seem to have a great relationship and they're respectful of each other, like, “Oh, I want you to have a chance. Let's make sure they have a chance.” So I think they each have their voice, and they're able to balance things out. There are just so many skills that they're obviously developing as part of putting this podcast together. Skills that will serve them for a long time to come.

Mariah Stout:
Yeah, indeed. And the best part is, especially when you hear from the beginning to where they are now, getting them to listen to understand. Instead of just like, “Oh, I'm asking this question. And then I'm just going to move on to the next thing without actually listening.” And so getting it to where, especially where we've hit up on like, “Hey, make sure you're having follow-up questions to show that you're actually listening”. That's been fantastic, just getting their listening skills, not just their hearing skills, but their listening skills to be able to help with that communication.

Anthony Godfrey:
I could tell that they had been really intentional about focusing on asking good follow-up questions, because there was a great flow to that interview with them. I hated when you gave the signal that it needed to wrap up because I was having so much fun with it. They did such a great job.

Mariah Stout:
I know, I was sad too. I was like, “Oh, man, do we have to stop? This is fantastic.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, they're a lot of fun and they just light up when they're talking with each other. It's really cool to see and I can't thank you enough for providing such a rich learning experience for these kids after school.

Mariah Stout:
You're welcome. I love it. This is probably my favorite thing to do, is this podcast. I didn't think when I first started doing it, I was like, “I don't know how to do a podcast. Like I've listened to podcasts. That's the only thing I've got.” As we've been going like it's just been so much fun, especially just to see the growth that these kids have learning how to communicate with each other. And again, like all of their ideas are their ideas. I don't tell them who to interview or anything. They come up with who they want to interview. Or if they don't have someone they want to interview or like a topic they want to talk about. They come up with that on their own and I'll listen in and usually I'll just provide like, “hey, did you think about this? Or did you think about that?” Usually I just pose guiding questions, but they're the ones who come up with all of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure. No, it's very meaningful for them to have that level of choice and what they do and their brains are firing like nothing else when they're coming up with these ideas and these questions I'm sure. What's the audience for this podcast? Do you have a lot of students that are listening?

Mariah Stout:
Yeah, I think so. Usually they'll have teachers that will play it. It's kind of sad because it's one computer showing so it just says one audience. But like, I mean, we've got classes of like– at least I know fifth grade and sixth grade show them or at least try to play it every week. So that's like 30 kids per class right there. So that's a lot of listens.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's really aimed at students and teachers are listening as well. And I'm sure parents are listening also.

Mariah Stout:
Yeah, we'll have like, so far 20. It's pretty small. But like every year I've noticed that it's gotten bigger and bigger the longer that we've been doing it. So I'm hoping it continues to grow. Hopefully, eventually the whole community will be listening because it's their students that are running this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, no, I think it's awesome. Well, thank you for the great work you're doing with them. Tthis was a real real thrill.

Mariah Stout:
Oh, well, thank you for coming and talking about this. This has been really fun. 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.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a full day set aside for students, teachers, and staff in Jordan School District to prioritize their health and wellness at home and in school. While there will be no in-person learning for students on Health and Wellness Day, students are encouraged to participate in wellness activities with family and friends at home.

On this episode of the Supercast, we explore the wellness day activities designed for your child. Activities are appropriate to their age and grade level and support concepts like eating well, better sleep, exercise, and personal interaction. Join us as we explore the activities available for Health and Wellness Day and every day of the year.

We're talking today with McKinley Withers, our Health and Wellness Consultant in Jordan School District. Thanks for joining us once again on the podcast.

McKinley Withers:
So good to be back here on the Supercast.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've been in this role a number of years now. Is that six years?

McKinley Withers:
Six years, yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And this is going to be the third year of our Health and Wellness Day for families and for employees.

McKinley Withers:
Yep. Yeah. Three years and time flies. I can't believe it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I remember the first time we were talking about trying to put this together. A lot of people have worked on this over the years and a lot of people have benefited, I think, from taking some time and really focusing on Health and Wellness.

The key to this is that it's a day for employees to kind of catch their breath, catch up, reconnect with each other, and connect with some activities that are made available through the community and some generous donations. The work of the Foundation, the work of many employees who are on a committee to put together a lot of great opportunities for employees.

There's also a huge focus on families, families reconnecting with each other, and being able to work through some activities and exercises that are created at the district level to help maybe focus on some skills and some activities that can really help everyone be at their best.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, exactly. At the heart of Wellness Day is kind of what's at the heart of wellness in general, which is we make intentional time and space in our life for our wellness practices. And that looks different for every family, every person, every employee.

So what we try and facilitate with a district-wide Wellness Day is options so that people can choose what most might benefit them and we give them the space and time to meet their unique wellness needs.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's an important point. There's a lot of choice and it does feel pretty amazing to have a day where you really get to make those choices. There aren't meetings. We don't allow any meetings on that day, and there isn’t additional homework assigned for those particular days, and teachers don't actually create the assignments that or the activities rather that are provided to families. Those are created at a district level and we're going to talk more about those. But that frees up employees and it frees up families. So it's not based on a grade. This isn't tracked so that students get a score, but it gives families an opportunity to choose activities, conversations that will help advance their own health and wellness.

McKinley Withers:
Exactly. Our theme with creating any of the content and opportunities with Wellness Day is everyday wellness because what really will be the best predictor of your long-term health and wellness is what you do today, tomorrow, and the next day. Not what you do just on Wellness Day or just what you do on January 1st.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure. As I've heard you speak over the years, that message has come through loud and clear. First of all, you can't save up health and wellness. It's not like you get this deep store of health and wellness and now you don't have to take care of yourself for a long time. It's something you have to maintain. And so I'm very aware of when I'm doing that well and when I'm not doing that well based on the many conversations that we've had in the presentations that I've seen you give.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. And that's so with the student and family content, all of it, it's designed for Wellness Day, but you could truly use any of it any day. So all of the activities are meant to be behaviors, plans, strategies, things that any student or family could implement on a regular basis. So even if you use a few resources for Wellness Day, you could continue to return to this resource bank for ideas if your child or you are just looking for some easy, fun ways to enhance your personal wellness.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is a day set aside that allows us to focus on health and wellness in a way that can stretch through the coming year and maybe set up some routines or some habits or even some just some activities that we go back to here and there that allow us to not just focus on our health and wellness, but improve it.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, exactly. So if we even in making that additional time and space available for families and employees on Wellness Day, if we continue to make just little bits of time for addressing our unique wellness needs and incorporate those into our everyday rituals, that's our best bet for long term health and wellness.

Anthony Godfrey:
You've had you've used an analogy in the past of a waterfall and maintaining your health and wellness over time. Talk about that.

McKinley Withers:
Wellness is a waterfall. It's more like a waterfall than it is a reservoir. It continues to flow. And my extension on this is that we're always upstream from our future self. So what we do today is creating our future self. So how much we sleep, if we're getting sunlight, if we're getting movement, all of those things are not just strategies. All of us struggle with different aspects of our personal wellness. And really, it's the simple things that matter most added up over time. So that flowing waterfall is our nutrition, our sleep, how we hydrate, whether or not we get movement regularly. All of those aspects are –kudos. The superintendent–

Anthony Godfrey:
I took a drink from my water bottle because when he said hydrate, I knew very well that I had not done that.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. And yeah, so just trying our best to incorporate regular easy strategies. And that's the other thing, you know, all of our content is meant to be easy and fun, because, you know, wellness doesn't have to be hard and daunting in this big task. It's meant to be a part of our everyday life.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's improvement. It doesn't take a large improvement to see an impact.

McKinley Withers:
Exactly. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, you've worked on this over the years, we provided this the first year that we had Health and Wellness Day.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
So those activities have changed and improved over time. And you've actually from the start calibrated this by grade level. So that is specific to the age of the student. Talk a little bit about that.

McKinley Withers:
Well, we know that, you know, wellness is unique for every individual. And especially when it comes to, you know, your age, the most effective strategies are strategies that people own for themselves. So rather than being told what to do, it's often more effective if people are choosing something that they are excited about that they can try and learn from and feel through what that strategy is. So rather than just being told to hydrate, you cannot understand the benefits of staying hydrated without proactively meeting that need. So creating a plan trying it out, seeing how it feels. That's where people get traction on change is where just actually experiencing the benefits of change.

Anthony Godfrey:
So don't just continue to do the same things you've done, try something new. But don't listen to somebody else telling you, well, this is what you have to do decide for yourself. “Hey, did I did I feel an impact as a result of this?”

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, approaching it with some curiosity and some intention is the key to understanding what works for us. You know, there's, there's a lot of wellness strategy preachers out there. And it's it's good to take in that input. So that you're open to what might work.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting, I was talking with a friend who'd received advice about a health issue. In the past, this health issue required a change in diet. Okay, these are all the foods to avoid. It's interesting that the advice he received was actually, don't automatically restrict these foods, just be very aware of how certain foods impact you as an individual, and then choose your food accordingly. And I think you're saying the same thing about health and wellness. There's not something that automatically works for everyone, regardless of age, regardless of who they are.

But there is a core list of things that are generally going to improve health. And you find what's most appealing to you and what's most effective and you lean into that.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, yeah. And really, again, it comes back to the strategies that work are the strategies that are fun and easy. We need to get rid of this story that our wellness practices aren't working if we're not struggling.

Anthony Godfrey:
So I can back off of Tae Bo.

McKinley Withers:
You can back off of Tae Bo.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm still using that VHS tape, still hoping that it will start to be fun.

McKinley Withers:
The six-pack still hasn't shown up?

Anthony Godfrey:
It still hasn't shown up. I’ve been doing it since the 90s, and it still hasn't gotten fun.

McKinley Withers:
It’s still not working.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're saying I can step away without guilt?

McKinley Withers:
Well, I thought Tae Bo would be fun. So I think that might just be–

Anthony Godfrey:
I've got tapes I can give you now that I've made this decision to move forward.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, just pass them along. It’s someone else's treasure. I can't wait for my Tae Bo tapes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. Just–I have a VCR too I'll give you that.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, I’m going to need that for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, so with the day set aside, the idea is that these activities are not just assigned to students. It's an activity that they engage in as a family.

McKinley Withers:
That's right, Dr. Godfrey. We've got assignments that have a variety of age ranges. They have a variety of topics of focus. It's all centered around the S.E.L.F.I.E. model from one of our school psychologists, Casey Pehrson, which stands for Sleep, Exercise, Light, Fun, Interaction, and Eating well. We chose the S.E.L.F.I.E. method because you don't need any specific technology or any specific setup in your home to access better sleep rituals, more sunlight, a little bit of movement, some more fun, and eating well. So all of the plans and activities are meant so that any of our district's families could make these activities work in their own family.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's accessible for everyone and it's intended for families.

McKinley Withers:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

McKinley Withers:
You can find out more about the S.E.L.F.I.E. method at selfiemethod.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it was on our podcast last year for Health and Wellness Day. 

McKinley Withers:
Yes. And that's on our website. So if you'd like to review some of the activities, you can visit wellness.JordanDistrict.org/resources. And we'll also have it posted on the Jordan District main page.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we'll be emailing it out to all families so watch for that. And in the meantime, let's give it a shot.

Stay with us. When we come back our Health and Wellness Specialist’s own children check out some of the fun Health and Wellness Day activities.

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Anthony Godfrey:
We have two of McKinley's children here to help demonstrate those lessons. Go ahead and tell us your name, and how old you are, and what grade you're in.

Ridge:
My name is Ridge. I am eight years old and I'm in third grade.

Juniper:
My name is Juniper. I'm five years old and I'm in kindergarten.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's very nice of you both to come to your dad's workplace and help us experiment with these assignments. You know, your dad and I like to joke that if we put your names together, we could name the newest elementary Juniper Ridge and it would be named after both of you.

Juniper:
I heard that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's dive into the selfie method for kindergartners and third graders.

McKinley Withers:
Okay. So first, I'm going to ask each of you a question. Okay, Ridge, what does wellness mean to you?

Ridge:
So you're like healthy, you feel good and you just doing good in class.

McKinley Withers:
Awesome. Juniper, what does wellness mean to you? You told me something in the car on the way here. You said wellness is like when someone checks on you and make sure you're doing okay. Remember that?

We’ve gone to the website wellness.jordandistrict.org/resources and since Ridge is in third grade, I'm going to click on 3rd Grade - 6th Grade Wellness Day Activity Ideas. So when I click on that, you'll see a whole list of activities. There are, there is a whole page of Spanish activities and activities that are modified if your student has an accommodation or a special need. So those are adapted. So there are probably about 50 different activity ideas all centered around the selfie model.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, with a hyperlink there to some additional information on some of those.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, each of them has kind of a worksheet or a strategy or something that you could print out and walk through or just look at and talk through. So Ridge, if you look at all these words, sleep, exercise, light, fun, interaction and eating well, are there any of those that sound fun to you right now? That you that might help your wellness?

Ridge:
Um, fun and interaction.

McKinley Withers:
Let's, let's choose one of those.

Ridge:
Interaction.

McKinley Withers:
Interaction. Okay. So maybe let's look at this one. Conduct an interview with a family member or family friend. Okay. Complete a mad lib with a friend. Complete a random act of kindness for someone you care about. Make and play conversation cubes so that handouts right there. So are any of those sounding interesting to you? Mad Libs.

Ridge:
I'm pretty sure I know these.

McKinley Withers:
You know what this is?

Ridge:
Yeah.

McKinley Withers:
Okay. So you can do this with someone and that's kind of like a fun way to get to know someone a little bit better. So maybe we could do this mad lib together. So you read through it and then you fill in the blanks. Okay. And maybe we could just alternate. So I'll do, we'll do every other one. Okay.

Ridge:
Okay. My name is Ridge and I am...

McKinley Withers:
28.

Ridge:
Year's old. If I were president, I'd do a whole bunch of things. Like I would drive the biggest...

McKinley Withers:
You say one.

Ridge:
I would drive the biggest car.

McKinley Withers:
What color?

Ridge:
Red.

McKinley Withers:
The biggest red car in the country. And that car would go faster than any snail in the world.

Ridge:
Everyone would eat pepperoni pizza.

McKinley Withers:
Okay. For dinner. I would live in the statue of Dr. Godfrey.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah.

McKinley Withers:
Don't we have one of those in Jordan?

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a big one. There'd be plenty of room. Yeah, right.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. It's huge.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the idea is to allow for some creativity and some level of connection with other members of the family.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. Just shake it up a little. I mean, all the activities are something you probably wouldn't

just wake up in the morning and be like, "I'm going to do a mad lib with my child." But once you go on there, you can kind of poke around and choose something that will strengthen your relationships, give you some ideas.

Anthony Godfrey:
And there's no pressure. Something isn't really taking hold and another activity sounds like more fun. Skip over and try something else.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah, exactly. So now we're in the kindergarten lessons and we're going to do an activity focused on sleep. And I know, Junie, do you like to color? Do you like to do art?

Juniper:
Yeah.

McKinley Withers:
Yeah. So maybe we could do this coloring sheet that's about getting good sleep. Does that sound fun? Do you want to do that? Should we color together? Awesome.

On the Sweet Dreams coloring sheet, which is one of, I mean, like we said, with every grade level, there's probably about 50 different activities to choose from. There's a coloring page that looks pretty fun to color that we could print out. But even if we don't have a printer, we can talk about this because the coloring page says sweet dreams, but it says “To help me have sweet dreams I will read or listen to a story” and you can color that. “I will go to bed at…” and then a certain time. “I will move my body in the day by…” “I will take a warm bath.” “I will cuddle something cozy.” Juniper has more stuffed animals surrounding her. You can't even find her. It looks like ET, you know, every time she's in her bed, it's just like, where is the actual child in there? And “I will eat a healthy snack.” So it just gives you some ideas for how to enhance sleep that a kid can color.

Anthony Godfrey:
I don't mind a good coloring page myself. So I may have to tap into some of these student activities.

McKinley Withers:
If you'd like to review the activities or use them anytime, they are found at wellness.jordandistrict.org/resources. And you can find all the different grade levels. For the secondary students, we actually have put the activities into a clickable page so you can navigate it more like a website just of activities. And there's multiple ways that you can access it. You'll see on the page and it should be easy and fun and personal to you and your family.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you McKinley for all the work you've done and that your team and others on the committee have done to make this possible. And thanks Juniper and Ridge for coming and trying this out with us.

Ridge:
Thanks for having us.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, take care guys.

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. And don't forget to subscribe to the Supercast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She says working with him is like winning the lottery every single day at Fort Herriman Middle School.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside teacher Kimberly Mendenhall's classroom, where a volunteer by the name of John Titus has become a priceless part of instruction. Mr. Titus spends every minute he can helping to change the lives of students with his love for learning. Despite being retired, John shows up for students and Mrs. Mendenhall almost every single day.

We're here in Kimberly Mendenhall's classroom at Fort Herriman Middle School to learn a little bit about what you're doing here. But let's start off with an introduction of your long time dedicated volunteer here in the class.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
You bet. So this is Mr. Titus. His name is Jonathan Titus and I will actually let him introduce himself.

John Titus:
Hi. I've been volunteering here now for probably five years. I came down and just made contact with Kim Mendenhall and have enjoyed the experience immensely. It's a great school, great staff, excellent teacher. My background is actually in science and chemistry after college degrees. While I worked on my doctorate, I used mini computers at the time, small microwave-sized computers or refrigerator-sized. And I found that I was much more interested than that than chemistry.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

John Titus:
So my brother and I started an electronics consulting firm and designed and built electronic equipment for people. We also did a lot of writing about electronics and computers, wrote a number of books. And then I went to work for a publishing company. I became the chief editor of two electrical engineering magazines.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

John Titus:
And then retired and we moved out here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me what year you started working with small computers.

John Titus:
Probably '71 or '72. So that's back a ways.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Way back in the 1900s.

John Titus:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's-- so you've been in on the ground floor of this for a long time.

John Titus:
That's true. Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's such an incredible opportunity for Kim to have you as a resource in the classroom and for the students to have access and the chance to learn from someone who's been a part of computers from the start, really.

John Titus:
Well, thank you. I just enjoy it immensely working with the students and working with Mrs. Mendenhall. I just enjoy being here and enjoy seeing the progress that the kids make.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Kim Mendenhall as a teacher.

John Titus:
Outstanding. She loves the kids. She really does. Even when they're acting up, she loves them through and through.

Anthony Godfrey:
Through and through.

John Titus:
I can't say enough good things about her. I really enjoy working with her. And I think we make a good team, volunteer and teacher.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's obvious that great things are happening because of the work you do together.

John Titus:
It’s fun. I enjoy it.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
And he's being very modest. When John says that he has dabbled in the computer electronics world, he actually has one of the first personal computers sitting in the Smithsonian. So something that I have in my classroom that he has lovingly gifted to our school is a plaque. So this is one of the magazines that distributed early information about computers. It's called Radio Electronics. It's from July 1974. It's the cover of it. It also has one of the very first personal microprocessors.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. And you had that in the Smithsonian. I was so distracted by Fonzie's leather jacket and the ruby slippers that I missed that computer.

John Titus:
Well, you wouldn't see it because it's in the archives. If you're a researcher, you can go look at all the material. You can probably take it out and take it apart and look at it in the Smithsonian.

Anthony Godfrey:
So it's stored in the archives of the Smithsonian.

John Titus:
Yes, it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it was on display at a certain point.

John Titus:
They had an information age display back in the '80s, maybe early '90s.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was there in the '80s. Maybe I saw it.

John Titus:
Maybe you did.

Anthony Godfrey:
But now, to see it, I would have to go back. It's like in the Raiders of the Lost Ark–

John Titus:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
–at the end, where you go through all the wooden crates.

John Titus:
All those dusty boxes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, OK. It's somewhere in one of those. OK. Wow, so impressive and such an incredible opportunity for students to have access to someone who's worked with computers for such a long time.

John Titus:
Well, I'm happy to share what I know with them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, we're standing in front of two tables put together with about a dozen trays that each have an experiment here. So talk me through some of the basic experiments that students may go through.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yeah. So I teach computer science classes, Python, computer science investigations, computer science principles. And one of the elements of that class is trying to get them into something that's more hands-on. There's very few items that allow us to do that in the computer science world without making it yourself. So these experiments were mine and John's idea to try to bring to life real things.

For example, one of our experiments is a traffic light simulation. So this traffic light simulation has two boards. And the boards themselves are little electronic circuit boards that John has customized. They are also open source. You can get them and use them as you would like. But you send out for the board, you have to solder on the LEDs and the resistors and then connect it to what's called an I/O board. And that I/O board then connects to what's called a microbit.

Microbits are very common and they're tiny, maybe a 2 by 1 and ½ square that has buttons on the front, an LED 5 by 5 screen. And then you can program these microbits to do many different tasks.

The microbit is the brain. It's like the computer that you're programming. So by connecting this to the breakout boards that we've done with the traffic light, students then are able to simulate a north, south, east, west style traffic light that they can then literally see when they create a function that goes through a green light, yellow light, red light sequence versus a stay on red sequence. And then it swaps that they can see that happen in real-time and in real life.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the programming they do on this small board, which looks like what you'd find if you tore an old calculator apart, means that they program this and they connect it to these lights that Mr. Titus ordered and put together. Now they've programmed essentially traffic lights going in each direction and they program it to be sure that no theoretical traffic accidents happen.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Correct. All of these experiments that we have, have very detailed step-by-step instructions with their goals, what we're trying to get them to do, how to help them see what each step of the process is doing. And then in the end, it gives them different challenges. OK, now that you've done this traffic light sequence, think of a different one you could try to program that you might see if it's in the middle of nowhere at night and you just have a flashing yellow. How does that look and could you create that instead? So that's the traffic light one.

One of the kids' favorites is this joystick. So it's like what you would see in an arcade mounted on some plywood. It has another I/O board connected to the joystick, which you then--

Anthony Godfrey:
The wire's running from the joystick to the I/O board.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
And then you take the micro bit and you plug it into that board. Now the beauty of this project and the reason kids love it is because there's little LED dots on the top of the microbit. And those dots can be controlled with the joystick, but they have to do the programming to connect to the dots.

So they are seeing all the stuff that they normally see either in their video games or on different consoles that they use, whether it's they went to the red box and they're using the touchscreen

and trying to make things work. They are seeing what's happening behind the scenes of that. Now where this project gets really fun is there is a radio element to it.

So the radio element is you have two microbits that have a radio capability incorporated onto the computer. And they can send a signal from one microbit across my room. Now my room is long, very long. So they could be 20 feet away plus. We've actually experimented with this.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure you have.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
They have gone out into the halls around the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just to see how far back--

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Just to see how far this signal will go. Anyway, you could have a kid in this classroom using the joystick, and wherever the other student is that has the radio control option, it will send and it will put all of those little lights. It will control those lights with the joystick that's 20-plus feet away.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Wow. So even just with these initial experiments, they start to learn some rudimentary programming. They start to see the impact that programming has and the uses it might have in the real world.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Correct. Yeah. So this one is super fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. Tell me about this one down here.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
So Mr. Titus has cats. We also, at one point in time, did teach engineering. And we would launch rockets and 3D printing. So we took all of those concepts, kind of threw it all together into a single experiment. So we've got a 3D printed gear, which has been attached to a servo with 3D printed track rails that are attached to an old rocket.

When you turn the servo, the servo will ultimately push the item, meaning the gear that's attached to the track, and it will push out a cat treat from the micro bit that you can then control with the A button and B button. So this becomes event-driven programming.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. So now what they see is I'm manipulating the physical world with the programming that I have done.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yes.

John Titus:
Exactly. And they also measure things in the real world, too. They can measure light intensity and then their program can do something based on the light intensity. And also, they can measure temperature. They can do remote control with an infrared push button control, like on a TV. So they really get a sense that computers connect to the real world. And this is how they do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they start to get a sense that, hey, these things I'm learning could actually help people. And now I understand kind of the basics of how my TV works and how I can make my cat happier.

John Titus:
That's right.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Stay with us. When we come back, more with Kimberly Mendenhall and this valuable volunteer who takes time in his retirement to make a difference in the lives of teachers and students.

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

Anthony Godfrey:
The pet feeder, the traffic lights, all of that leads to– kind of creates the basics for now some other programming of their own that they can go beyond. And you talked about block programming.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
So they have block programming, but in Python, that's considered line programming. So I had a student send me an example of one of the programs we did in Python, where he's using conditionals. He's using loops. He's using variables. And he has basically created a choose your own adventure game that is decently involved.

So he called this the peeler. And the peeler is a goblin who is coming to battle with a bunch of different enemies. These enemies that he has created vary in their strength. And so he's used a randomizer in there as well. And you have a set--

Anthony Godfrey:
To randomize the strength of the creatures that you fight?

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Mm-hmm.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
And he has made it so that when you are up against a specific creature, he has five different options to choose from to attack this other odd creature. We're doing a Merlopian at the moment and it says you can pick fireball, dusk blast, aquarium storm, thunder blitz, or stab.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, a dusk blast?

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Oh, dusk blast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that like some kind of crepuscular weapon of some sort?

Kimberly Mendenhall:
I wish I knew.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just like, OK, ‘Nighttime!’

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yeah, why not?

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
A dusk blast might be me falling asleep on the couch. I don't know.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
The creativity of students, it's amazing. I wish I knew.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Thunder blitz. I need to talk with this student and understand these weapons a little bit better.

Kimberly Menenhall:
He's fabulous.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is really cool. It's amazing. So they learn the mechanics. They learn the programming. And now that opens up a whole world of creativity where they get to make some things of their own.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yes. And so this particular game has no graphics at all. It is completely coded with just words. And the output is just text at this point. So we're trying now to go– we have these real-world step-by-step experiments. We've now taught you some of the very basic fundamentals of line programming with Python.

Anthony Godfrey:
Kind of like a choose your own adventure as the result.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yeah. And then now they're trying to now take it to that next step where we do incorporate the graphics side of things. And a fast way, one of the fastest ways to do that, is with these little– they're called kitten bots or meow bits. It's similar to--

Anthony Godfrey:
Kitten bots or meow bits.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Help me, John.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Python named after Monty Python. Engineers have a really good time naming things.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
They do. They love it. After things that they enjoy.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm in. It's great.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Kittens. I mean, that's right up Mr. Titus' alley.

Anthony Godfrey:
There you go. That's right. It's all coming together.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yes. OK, so this game-- and I'll try not to reset it. But this particular game on a kitten bot. Now, a kitten bot is about the size of my palm. And it has a look similar to an old school Game Boy. Has an up down left right AB button on it. It has a little LCD screen. It's basically a more advanced version of a microbit. But it only deals with what's called the MakeCode Arcade. It's a Microsoft product that you can code on.

They have block-based programs, my students created this game in my seventh period today, where they have targets that are going across the screen. Your goal is to try to move the ball that's in the center to try to hit the target. There is a bar at the bottom that decides how much energy the ball has to then be able to launch at that target. So now they're taking the skills of the conditionals, the loops, the randomization and they're seeing them applied to something that they can physically now see and interact with like a Game Boy.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this goes beyond the choose your own adventure to a graphic game that is based on their programming.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Over here in this part of the room, you have the two consoles, the arcade consoles. And this brings back a ton of memories for me, even though right now it's just raw wood because I spent a lot of time playing video games in arcades. In junior high, I will say, I would take my lunch money - and this is in the 1900s-  I would run back downtown because I was at a school downtown on a university campus. I would run to the arcade, spend my lunch money, and run back and make it just in time, not having eaten anything but playing Tempest until I beat the final screen. So this is bringing back great memories. And to me, it's very worth the time, very much worth the time that you spent over the summer creating these consoles. Because you're not saying, well, this is kind of like you could even play your game in an arcade. This makes it real for the kids.

John Titus:
Right. Because they are the ones who are contributing the games.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So you've created the shell. And they get to fill that with their own creativity.

John Titus:
Yes.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Oh, yeah. So first of all, these arcades are like six feet tall. They look like what you would go into if you were going to an old-school arcade like Anthony described. This is just plain wood. But we were talking about making it into something that may be a collaboration with our art teachers or potentially vinyl sleeves for them even to get them to pop a little bit more.

Right now, they're still just, again, nothing fancy raw wood. But they look like a traditional arcade system with joysticks and buttons and a screen. And the students can come in with their Python games. Or we've talked to code.org, we talked to Scratch. We are trying to get in touch with the MakeCode Arcade to bring all of the different options for students to be able to create and bring their creativity, game-making skills, programming skills onto a real-life arcade. There's two of them. And they're run by a Raspberry Pi.

You didn't get to see this. So the brain thing of this, you know old computers are just a board. Well, our board is maybe the size of my open hand. I might- 4 inches by 2 inches. It's just this little Raspberry Pi, which is fitting for Thanksgiving.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Wow

Kimberly Mendenhall:
But yeah. So over the summer, we took the time and plans from– I want to say it's MakeCode.org– where they had an arcade layout. We took the dimensions that were there and John came up with a plan for the design. Then I, with the help of my principal, was able to order all of the plywood to be able to create real– it's not a desktop. This is on caster wheels that lock. It is taller than I am. I'm 5'5". These are 6'5", maybe. And you can stand up next to it, hit it if you need to when you're frustrated. And it's not going to go anywhere. They're really sturdy, strong machines.

Anthony Godfrey:
So are you woodworkers on top of everything else?

Kimberly Mendenhall:
One of the classes we did was engineering. And we were trying to show an engineering design process, fail or not. And this is what came of that. John's more of the engineer than I am. But I do know how to work in a shop.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's impressive. And I would say you didn't cut corners. But you cut a lot of corners. Which, getting these shapes requires a lot of cutting. And like I said, you went all in. You did everything you could to make this as realistic as possible.

John Titus:
That was the goal. Yeah. That was the goal. So the kids would really take to it, rather than, as Kim said earlier, just a monitor and a keyboard and a mouse. This is it. This is a real arcade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, this elevates it in a very meaningful way. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. But more than that, for creating this unmatched experience for students. What an incredible environment for them to learn in. And what an incredible opportunity.

John Titus:
Well, everything that I have done is open source. Any teachers within the district and outside the district are welcome to take advantage of what we've put together. And credit Mrs. Mendenhall for the opportunity to do it, and also the encouragement to do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, the two of you are such a great combination.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wish I could go back in time and take this class myself. Because it's just lighting all kinds of circuits in my brain. So people who get to take your class. So thank you very much for everything you do.

Kimberly Mendenhall:
Yes, thank you.

John Titus:
You're welcome. Nice meeting you.

Anthony Godfrey;
Very nice meeting you as well.

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

And if you like what you heard, subscribe and give us a five-star rating.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are a talented group of students making magic happen in musical dance theater.

On this episode of the Supercast, we head to Riverton High School, where teacher Clin Eaton has been producing amazing performances with students singing and dancing their hearts out for more than three decades. This time, students are taking the stage in a production called "One of These Nights, a Broadway Review," and we have a front row seat to see how rehearsals are going.

We're talking now with Clin Eaton, theater teacher of many years at Riverton High School. Thank you for taking the time to make these students available and to let me see this rehearsal.

Clin Eaton:
You bet. It's good practice for them to perform in front of other people than me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about your career. How long have you been at Riverton? Have you been here since it opened?

Clin Eaton:
I've been here since it opened. My very first day of student teaching, I was assigned at BYU to be here, and my first day was the very first day the doors opened of this building. I was new just like every single other person here was. I was assigned to be with the fantastic Shawnda Moss, and Dave Stoddard was our principal, and he was my middle school science teacher. He remembered me, so he was thrilled to have a Joel P. Jensen alumni, because I am a West Jordan alumni. I had a great high school theater experience, and so I student taught here and was basically thrown in the deep end with the musical and Shakespeare competition and all of that. I was hired to teach with Shawnda right after my student teaching experience. I feel like I've been here from the beginning.

Anthony Godfrey:
You are the Riverton Theater common thread right from the start.

Clin Eaton:
Yes, and we've always had two teachers here, and they've all been fantastic colleagues.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like a great start to a career. You come into a school where you know the principal from years ago, you have great support, and everybody's new.

Clin Eaton:
I was offered American Fork the same day, but it was no question to choose Riverton.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm very glad that you made that choice. A lot of Jordan District students have benefited from that. I've known you for a long time, and this is a long time coming to get to talk with you for the podcast. Tell me about this Broadway review that the kids have been preparing. It was really exciting to see that rehearsal. How are the songs chosen, and what does this mean to you and the kids?

Clin Eaton:
I started the class in 2005 when I realized that we just had in our community, we had a lot of kids that what are considered in the industry triple threats. They were singer, dancers, and actors, and I wanted to do a class that focused on that and have it be an audition class.

The first year, I think I took everyone that auditioned, because it was just a new class, and we had some very green performers and we had some really seasoned performers. But the one thing that I decided that we needed to start with was solo singing. To get them comfortable standing up by themselves, because in the history of musical theater, you always have to be able to stand up and sing by yourself to get a role.

With these students that we started, we did all these solos, and I'm like, "Okay, I think this kind of lends itself to a review, and that will be our end-of-semester goal." So first semester, we will work on a whole bunch of different styles, because if you look at Broadway today, you have jukebox musicals with a Michael Jackson musical where you need to be able to basically be a pop rock singer. You have a musical like Six, where you need to be able to sing like Beyonce or Mariah Carey. There's just an expectation that you do eight shows a week in that style. That's a very different style than old-fashioned Broadway like in Oklahoma, but you still need to be able to sing in that style. So the review is meant to highlight all of the things that we could consider a Broadway musical.

I sit down and I look at a variety of group numbers, and then some numbers for just the girls, some numbers for just the guys, and then the solos and the duets are pulled from the class. And then I've always had the fantastic Kelly DeHaan as my accompanist, because he can play anything. So I always want to make sure that he gets a number in the review as well. So I assign him a song, and he has graciously been our accompanist for the past 20 years.

Anthony Godfrey:
And he chooses and arranges that song.

Clin Eaton:
Sometimes. This year he did. This year he arranged the song that he's going to perform. Other times I just say this is the song and he doesn't even know it and he has to learn it. Other times he's like, "Oh, this will be great." But I want – Kelly is not just a fantastic accompanist and piano player and musician, but he has a killer voice, and not everyone knows that. So I want to be sure that he gets a moment to sing while our students just dance, because I want to make sure that he always wants to do my review.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm looking forward to seeing that. Now, one standout song as I saw this rehearsal was “One of These Nights” and you said that's from a song sequence?

Clin Eaton:
Yeah, song cycle.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about that. I wasn't aware of that. Are these songs that are – maybe you started to write it for a musical and a musical doesn't take off, but it's a song that you really want to have an audience.

Clin Eaton:
A lot of times in New York City when composers graduate from college, usually a lot of composition majors, they have to put together a variety of songs that could be used in a show. Then they go to New York City to try to get an agent or to try to get a book writer or someone to put those songs to a story. So they just call them song cycles because it's a collection of music that they've worked on. There's a lot of famous Broadway composers that are now writing full-length shows, but what got them their start were writing a bunch of individual songs that then are tied together through a theme. And our title, “One of These Nights”, is from a song cycle called Fugitive Songs. That is a collection of songs kind of going through people's relationships and ‘One of These Nights” has people looking back on what their relationships are.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you bring in a lot of experts to help choreograph and as you said, Kelly DeHaan plays for this. Tell me about another outside source that you use to support these students.

Clin Eaton:
One of my favorite outside sources is one of my Riverton alumni by the name of Michael Milkanin, who is currently on Broadway in “Shucked”. He was in this class 17 years ago, went to BYU to get his MDT major and has worked professionally ever since he graduated from that program.

When we were in shutdown for COVID, when the high school opened back up, Broadway was not open, so all of those performers returned home. So Michael was back in Riverton and I got the permission to put on the musical “Spongebob Squarepants”. They asked me to be able to do that. So I asked Michael, “I know that you're bored, you're not doing a show right now, do you want to come and choreograph?”

So the students got to work with a professional Broadway performer, but he graduated from Riverton and I had him as a sophomore, junior and senior. And it was so fun being able to watch his incredible talent and his capabilities, working with students that are going on to do that. He has high expectations and I said, “Don't dumb down your choreography, do exactly what would be expected in a professional show.” And the students rose to the occasion.

That same year, we also had Thane Jasperson, who's the only original cast member left in “Hamilton”. I did a show with him at Hale Center Theater and we are friends. So he was in lockdown here and he came and did a number with MDT. That is an amazing experience that students got to work with a “Hamilton” performer and he came for three days and did a number with them for our review.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's unforgettable. What incredible experiences. Well, thank you for everything you do for these students and providing such a high level, unique experience. It's obvious it means a great deal to all these students and they'll never forget this time with you.

Clin Eaton:
Thank you so much for coming out and we hope a lot of people come to our review. It's going to be a really fun time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back hear from some of the talented cast members as students prepare to take the stage.

Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.

Clin Eaton:
Alright, MDT! This is Dr. Anthony Godfrey. He is the Superintendent of Jordan School District. And he'll be talking to a few of you, but we just want to show him some stuff we've been working on for the review.

Students:
Okay.

Student singing “Live in Living Color” from “Catch Me if You Can”:
Live in living color
Let me take you for a ride.
Yes, I'm live in living color
So sit back and let me be your T.V. Guide!

I gotta story I'd like to tell
But I'm gonna need help to tell it well.
I gotta story about fame and money...

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now at Riverton High in the auditorium where it happens with three of the students in the MDT class. Tell me a little bit about yourself and the class.

Morgan Walker:
My name is Morgan Walker. I've been in the class for two years, I auditioned my junior year. And it's been a really fun class. It's been fun to experiment in all the different types of theater and be able to put them together and perform amazing shows with people I love.

Elizabeth Birkner:
Hi, my name is Elizabeth Birkner. I am a senior at Riverton. I'm in the MDT program for three years. My favorite part of MDT is the friends I've made and the opportunity to learn so many different songs and dances from so many different Broadway shows. And really master some of my skills so I can hopefully pursue musical theater in college.

Zaden Gates:
Hi, my name is Zaden Gates. I am in my third year in MDT and I love capybaras. I love this class because the environment around here is so amazing and everyone is so supportive. You can learn so much and just pursue whatever you want and Clin will always help you with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like from all three of you that what's important in this class is not just the skills you learn and the material that you get to know, but it's the people that you get to know and the connections that you make. Tell me more about the experiences you've had with these friends over the years.

Elizabeth Birkner:
Well, I actually didn't come from a school that feeds into Riverton. So when I came here for my sophomore year, I was really worried about not having any friends. But I auditioned for MDT in March in my freshman year and then you go in during the summer for the summer retreat and so I didn't really know anyone, but everyone welcomed me in with open arms, even the seniors who didn't know me. And they welcomed me and I had so much fun. In these last three years, I've made so many new friends and I've learned a lot about myself.

Morgan Walker:
It's definitely very welcoming and I think part of it is that everyone's willing to come and be vulnerable and experiment with themselves and be able to find what they love. Everybody's so accepting of that and it's just really a big community of people just building up each other. It's really supportive and it's a really good group of people. So I think it draws people in and they see that in us.

Zaden Gates:
We have a lot of bonding activities as well that we do. Like just today we did our Christmas social and we were able to do a white elephant gift exchange. It was just so much fun to be able to cherish the time and spend it with each other and just love each other for who we are.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's fantastic. Now tell me what it's like to be in Mr. Eaton's class. You must really like it because you keep doing it over and over again.

Clin Eaton:
You can also talk about the first assignment that you have to do in the class which is get up and sing a solo.

Anthony Godfrey:
A solo? That's the first assignment?

Clin Eaton:
They have to do their first assignments are three solos.

Elizabeth Birkin:
Yeah, he throws you right in.

Clin Eaton:
And so they can talk about that.

Elizabeth Birkin:
Ohhh. No, yeah. The first day of class, Clin goes, "Alright guys, your first assignment is you have to pick a solo from one of these books of songs." And me, little sophomore me was like, "What? I'm sorry, what are we doing?" And so you do three solos in front of, in my case, strangers, which is even harder, but you have to see them the very next day. It's very scary, but Clin is very supportive and he pushes you, which is what you need in his industry. And it can be hard sometimes, but he's very kind and forgiving and also very sassy, which is very funny.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I even got to see a little bit of the feedback that he gave you here as I watched this rehearsal. And it's moving you forward, but it's very kind and constructive and it's just right on point on what you need next. So encouraging and moving you forward all at the same time.

Morgan Walker:
He's very supportive of us. He pushes us very far. Definitely for me, like I never thought I could even come this far in high school and he's been able to just take the best parts of us and use that for our better. It's a really constructive environment.

Clin Eaton:
These are also three seniors that are interested in pursuing this at the college level, which is one reason I pulled them. So they've all been doing their college auditions this past month as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, so tell me about what's next. You've been auditioning at the college level. What's that like?

Morgan Walker:
It's very stressful, especially not knowing exactly what could happen with your audition process because there's so many options and amazing programs all around the state and the East Coast. So it's very stressful not knowing, but it's very, it's very, I don't know.

Clin Eaton:
Tell them what you have to prepare. What they make, what they require of you.

Morgan Walker:
So I just did my BYU audition and they require two two-minute monologues and two about 90 second songs as well and a dance video as well. So you have to learn all of those and be able to record yourself and submit them.

Elizabeth Birkin:
And that's only for the opportunity to audition for them in person. So it's not if you pass it doesn't mean, oh, you got it. It means, oh, you're good enough to come audition.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're good enough to try.

Elizabeth Birkin:
You're good enough to try in person.

Zaden Gates:
I would say it's it's been a very long and exhausting process, but Clin has been right there beside us in every single step. Whenever we need like him to play piano, if you need advice on anything, he's always willing to be there and just give you flat-out the answer. And then he also like helps you organize all your thoughts because there are so many things going on with schoolwork and college auditions and then rehearsals. It's just so much, but he's so helpful throughout it.

Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds like he's a big part of helping you be at your best for those tryouts.

Zaden Gates:
For sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of your favorite memories? I mean, this is if we look at this K-12 experience is about this long, you're right here at this little bit at the end. So tell me what are the memories that you'll look back on from this class and this experience at Riverton High School that are most important to you?

Elizabeth Birkin:
I would have to say the girls dressing room has been a very wonderful place for me to make a lot of my closest friends. Like we get ready in there before the shows and we often have deep discussions or we talk about our favorite artists. But mostly it's just the support that I've gotten from those girls and everyone in these classes. But I think the girls dressing room is somewhere I'm going to remember and miss a lot.

Zaden Gates:
Yeah. Just like being backstage with your friends, going for like a quick change or just waiting for your cue. It's so amazing. Like sometimes across the stage somebody will be dancing and so you dance back at them and it's just an amazing stage.

Anthony Godfrey:
From backstage?

Zaden Gates:
Yeah, from backstage. So somebody's on stage singing and then we are dancing. It's usually a very sad song and we're dancing our heart out.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. When I see you then I'm going to know that's happening backstage.

Zaden Gates:
Oh, it will be happening.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, the insider intel.

Zaden Gates:
It will be happening. But just those moments like backstage, being able to cherish each other and honestly sharing a connection on stage too is very beautiful. Just being able to like show it to an audience. Even despite its size, it's always amazing to see us just come together and just do something none of us thought we could.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Morgan Walker:
I'll definitely miss our local In-N-Out because after most of the shows we go to are In-N-Out and we just sit down and have some food together. But that's the spot where it really like kind of clicks that either the show is over or that show that one run is over. It's a lot of bittersweet memories there because you'll be able to remember all your friends and the hard work that you put in. But it's a way to celebrate as well. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic. Tell me what would you say to students who are thinking or parents who are thinking maybe my child would be interested in this, might want to be part of this. I know sometimes coming into a high school, all of our high schools are big and it can maybe be intimidating. What's your advice for someone who's considering being part of a theater program at their high school?

Morgan Walker:
I would say absolutely go for it. In my middle school when I auditioned for my first show, I was very nervous and it was very scary because I'm the youngest in my family. And all my brother did like track and sports and stuff. And so I told my parents, "I want to do theater! " And they're like, "What? " But I auditioned anyway and they went and saw the show and they're like, "You should pursue this." And so I think taking the first audition or the first step is always going to be harder than the things that lead up after that.

Clin Eaton:
And my advice as the teacher is there's a place for you even if it's not in the MDT class. Theater is a big umbrella. So at least at Riverton High School, and I know all of the high schools in the district, there's a place somewhere in the theater program for you. Even if you're not a singer or a dancer, if you're willing to get up on stage and do something, you can be in the theater classes. We have theater one, two, three, and four. Not everyone has to sing and dance. It's a unique skill set, but you can still do really good stuff. And behind the scenes and technical theater is just as important as the people on the stage. And there's always spots in high schools for technical theater. So don't be intimidated if you're not a singer or a dancer. Take the theater class because you'll be surprised at the friends you make and the skills that you can learn, even if you don't consider yourself a singer or a dancer.

Elizabeth Birkin:
And a lot of the skills that you learn in these various classes or shows, you can take with you throughout your life, even if you aren't going to do theater. It helps you be a better public speaker. It gives you confidence in yourself. And it just opens you up to a whole different world.

Zaden Gates:
You should just be yourself because everybody is so welcoming and they will love you for who you are. And there's no need to be anyone else.

Anthony Godfrey:
And being in theater, you can be yourself by being someone else.

Elizabeth Birkin:
Exactly. It's taught me a lot about myself by being someone else for a day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you very much. I'm thrilled to get to see behind the scenes before the actual performance. And I look forward to seeing you next year.

Thank you 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.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They make fun and flavorful sodas for students every single day.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to South Valley School’s Sippin' 7 Soda Shop. Find out how it is helping students learn how to work in a small business, exchanging money, and making customers happy by creating a customized soda to order, big or small. Follow us now as we head into South Valley School and meet with Principal Tammy Rajczyk.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Hello, welcome to South Valley. Glad you could be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, Tammy.

Tammy Rajczyk:
You're in for a really big surprise.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Tammy Rajczyk:
I hope you're excited.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm looking forward to it.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Should we go over to our pop shop, which is with class 7?

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Looks like there's a lot going on today.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Yes, there is. We are highlighting you today. We have our drink of the month, Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp. I actually have it right here and along with that drink comes a fantastic necklace.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Tammy Rajczyk:
So we have a lot of big promotions going on.

Anthony Godfrey:
A necklace comes with the drink.

Tammy Rajczyk:
You are featured this month.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've never had a featured beverage. This is a moment for me. Let's grab a Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp. My first question as I see people lined up is, is the Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp popular today?

Tammy Rajczyk:
Yes, it is very popular today. Everybody is drinking it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would hate for my first soda pop brand launch to not be a popular drink.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Right? I have been promoting it. It is delicious. Ok, so--

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, does this mean that the Gulp is Grinchy or that I'm Grinchy?

Tammy Rajczyk:
I'm going to go with the Gulp is Grinchy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ok.

Tammy Rajczyk:
You're never Grinchy.

Anthony Godfrey:
So far. So far.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Yes. Ok, I'd like to introduce you to Codee Flores our pop shop teacher.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, Codee. Good to see you again.

Codee Flores:
Yes. You too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the pop shop here at South Valley.

Codee Flores:
So here we are at Sippin' 7 Soda. We're class 7, so we had to play on words.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sippin' 7 Soda. OK, I like it.

Codee Flores:
And this is run by the students, as you see here. They are taking all the orders, doing the money, all that kind of fun stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, we were here with a Jordan Education Foundation meeting a month or two ago. And everybody benefited from getting to place their own customized drink order. And it's really cool. They've done a great job here.

Codee Flores:
So Kayla here came up with the name for the drink of the month. So why don't you show him his--

Kayla:
This is in honor of Dr. Godfrey. It's our drink of the month. It's called Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp. It comes with Mountain Dew and Blue Raspberry and Pineapple.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow.

Kayla:
The Blue Raspberry is what makes the Mountain Dew kind of turn green. And it's $2 for the drink. And it comes with a fun little Grinchy necklace. Or if you want to attach it to a purse, a bag, a backpack.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is a bargain. That is awesome.

Kayla:
Yep, we're super excited. We haven't really done a drink of the month in a while. But it's actually turned out to be a massive hit.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm very honored to have this drink named after me. And I'm very grateful that it's a hit. Let's order a drink. Talk me through the process.

Student:
OK, you have to put your name. And then if you want to get the drink of the month, you write drink of the month at the top.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, Godfrey, can I just put D-O-T-M?

Student:
Yeah.

Kayla:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, I'll put a big circle around that.

Student:
And that's $2.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right and this is the 7th period class:

Kayla:
But for you, it's on us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, OK.

Kayla:
Yeah, for you.

Anthony Godfrey:
As the drink's namesake, I get it.

Kayla:
As the namesake, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

Kayla:
And then, like I said, this comes with the drink. It's a fun little Grinchy–

Anthony Godfrey:
This is very cool. I do not have a Grinch necklace, I'll tell you that.

Kayla:
You can hang it or put it around your neck or put it on purses anywhere you want.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, that's awesome. I think I can put it on my briefcase.

Kayla:
Or hang it up on your-- or hang it up on your tree as a fun little Christmas ornament.

Anthony Godfrey:
It'll start on my briefcase. It'll end up on my tree. Thank you very much. This is really cool.

Kayla:
Then we would hand it off to one of our classmates, one of our runners in the class. And Miranda, who is our runner--

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, Miranda.

Miranda:
I'm actually a runner, but I actually make drinks.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Miranda:
I have no idea what to say.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK.

Miranda:
But yeah, I definitely make drinks.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can I run with you and let's go see the drink made?

Miranda:
Yeah, yeah, yeah let’s go do that.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, let's go. Let's head down there.

Miranda:
That's where we make drinks.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is the drink laboratory. So I'll follow you in. Oh, wow, you have a whole rack.

Miranda:
Yeah we do. We have sodas and lemonade and anything like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, you have-- I see you’re recycling?

Miranda:
Yeah, because if they're empty, we recycle them with this box.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you have-- where did you find your display?

Miranda:
All these syrups.

Anthony Godfrey:
It looks like it's made just for the syrup.

Miranda:
We just fill them up in a cup.

Codee Flores:
Well, you know when we surplus things or have that room that nobody wants the bookshelves anymore? That is a bookshelf.

Anthony Godfrey:
It looks like an old magazine rack from the library.

Codee Flores:
It is.

Anthony Godfrey:
But it fits these syrups perfectly. Wow. That's impressive.

Codee Flores:
That’s what that is. And we want to, while we're in here, thank the JEF, too. See our cooler back there?

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah.

Codee Flores:
That was funded by Donor’s Choose. Just shout out to them for helping our soda shop. Big Yeti cooler.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeti cooler.

Codee Flores:
So the cooler, same colors of school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks to the Jordan Education Foundation and Donor’s Choose.

Codee Flores:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's dynamite. Oh, you even have the long stirring stick. This is next-level stuff. All right.

Miranda:
Sorry, I have your green juice.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see the Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp they're blowing out of here.

Miranda:
It is a hit.

Codee Flores:
I’ve never seen as many drinks of the month ordered at one time like this. It’s crazy.

Chelsea Lopez:
Here, you can have this. OK, what is this one? Oh, drink of the month? Oh, this one's yours.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is mine.

Chelsea Lopez:
OK, well, now I'm feeling the pressure.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right, talk us through the steps as you make this gulp.

Chelsea Lopez:
All right, for Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp. So step one, grab the cup. Step two, fill it with ice. We actually have a student going to grab the ice right now. So they do kind of all the tasks that we need as we go so they actually are learning the job skills that they would need with coworkers at a soda shop. You know, hey, we need ice. We need to go get the ice. You know, and they're on standby for syrup refills, different kinds of things like that. So they're learning the interaction with coworkers, which is a really good skill to have.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you do this every Friday from 11 to 12 or 11 to 11:30? What's the schedule?

Chelsea Lopez:
We have it open every day until 11. So students in the school, teachers, whoever, visitors can come and put in tickets. And then when the students are in the classroom around 10:30, we check our orders. And then we make the drinks. The students go deliver all the drinks. The students in the school have the drinks to have during lunch.

Codee Flores:
Did you see the t-shirts?

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow. I did not see the t-shirts. That is awesome. And in various colors.

Codee Flores:
All the students and teachers pick their own colors. We went shopping. So this is helping. This is not just for-- you know, this is so fun. This is a soda shop. It's to help the students learn skills. So they're learning money skills, customer service. We got to go shopping. We're always shopping for sodas. We got to find bargains because sodas literally-- It's through the roof.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Yeah. Wow. The shirts, the syrup display, the drink of the month, it is-- this is a great operation.

For those unfamiliar with South Valley School, tell us a little bit about what this is all about.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Great. South Valley School is a post-secondary school that's for transition services for students with disabilities, 18 to 22-year-olds. We focus on transitional skills, life skills, daily living skills, and especially job skills out in our communities.

Anthony Godfrey:
And it's really a unique program, just the wide variety of opportunities that you give students to get to have real-world learning and just to enhance their skills before they're no longer part of Jordan School District.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Right. It's an amazing experience. We have parents and students here from all over the Valley in the Jordan School District that they want to come back. They come back for our dances. We have alumni invited. It's an amazing experience. And a lot of our students leave here with paid jobs, which is our ultimate goal.

Anthony Godfrey:
You do an incredible job of providing those experiences for people, and they do feel a deep connection. Students and employees here.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Yes, they do. Our employees don't want to leave. I mean, it's amazing. I mean, every day is a gift. We get to watch our students blossom and grow and learn. And it really is-- I have tears in my eyes in many of days for just watching them. It's incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's a place where incredible things happen. That's absolutely true. Thank you so much for inviting me over today, for the great experience you give these students, and for my wonderful Grinchy Gulp. I will be back. I'm a repeat customer. If there's a punch card, I'll be filling it out.

Tammy Rajczyk:
Thank you so much for coming. We really appreciate you taking the time to come and see South Valley and participate and be a part of this and it's our pleasure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we try Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp.

Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram@jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.

Chelsea Lopez:
We have our cup, we've got ice in there. Obviously, the clean-up is a bit of a job afterwards.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, is there a sticker on there as well?

Chelsea Lopez:
Yeah, so the students put stickers on these. And then usually, we put the name and class number of the student who it goes to on these.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very cool.

Chelsea Lopez:
And recently, this year, we've just been bringing their tickets with. But the students really love to see the random sticker that they get. It's just kind of a little one of those things.

Anthony Godfrey:
And a decorated cup. That's-- yeah. Wow. All the details add up to a very cool experience.

Chelsea Lopez:
Right. So then, yeah, we add our syrup. So we do a pump of each. So we do a blue raspberry pump, a pump of pineapple. And then after that, we check the ticket to see if it's a regular or diet Mountain Dew.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, let's do a diet drink of the month. I should have written DDOTM.

Chelsea Lopez:
Oh, yeah. We'll do our diet on here. And then--

Anthony Godfrey:
I do love that sound of cracking open a new can, you know?

Chelsea Lopez:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, wow. OK, that's really cool.

Chelsea Lopez:
And kind of the purpose of the long spoon is the sugar all seems to the bottom. So we kind of pull it to the top, give it a twirl. And then--

Anthony Godfrey:
Did you go through various potential recipes before you landed on this particular Godfrey's Grinchy Gulp recipe?

Chelsea Lopez:
Yeah, so our students-- I mean, when we do anything like this, we kind of get our students together. And then we get all of their ideas. They put them up on the board. Like, sometimes we do it through an assignment. And then the rest of the class will-- they'll present their ideas. And the rest of the class will vote on their favorite combos. And so-- and a lot of the time, we will do samples. So we'll take the little cups.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Chelsea Lopez:
We'll make little mini versions. And the students can try the different ones. And they kind of decide which one's their favorite.

Anthony Godfrey;
Very cool. What are some of the other drinks of the month over the time that you've had the shop open?

Chelsea Lopez:
We've done the-- there was a peep one. That one was crazy.

Codee Flores:
Oh, the peep. People like the peeps. So we have had the drink of the month that was a peep theme. It was Hanging with my Peeps. And so the students-- yeah. They came up with that. Like she was saying we kind of vote on different ideas. We did do drinks during one of our dances. And that was really cool. We got to go get some different syrups that we've never tried before. And they got to come up with combinations and things like that. So we always try to do some fun little things to go with it so people can enjoy their drinks and little trinkets and little Grinch necklaces. Things like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, wow. Well, this is quite an operation with all of these different flavors. You’ve got classic caramel, lavender. Is lavender popular?

Codee Flores:
Lavender lemonade is my favorite.

Anthony Godfrey:
Lavender lemonade. Seeing all of these syrup flavors I definitely need to expand my horizons and try some different flavors.

Codee Flores:
I’ll give you a hint. Adding peppermint to anything is excellent.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? Kind of a staple. Ok.

Codee Flores:
Yeah, it’s kind of my little secret thing over down there. I kinda–

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I see that it is tucked in the corner. All right, let’s see. Do you have brand preferences? This is DaVinci classic peppermint. It looks really refined.

Codee Flores:
You know, it looks really nice, right? I kind of like those ones because they’re plastic so we don’t drop them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, right. This is the moment of truth. Let’s try the Gulp.

Chelsea Lopez:
All right.

Anthony Godfrey;
All right, straw in.

Chelsea Lopez:
I’ve got to get a picture.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that’s right. Oh yeah, I need to put the necklace on. That tastes fantastic. I’m serious, that blue raspberry pineapple combination is really good. It’s good. You guys like it right?

Codee Flores:
Yeah, we sampled it. We had to come up with the –it was kinda like a science project. How do we make the drink green while tasting good at the same time? So we kinda- they were in here looking “Well, if we add this color and this color” and then we came up with the pineapple and the blue raspberry.

Anthony Godfrey:
I suspect there are lots of green drinks that do not taste good.

Codee Flores:
Some are a little sketchy. It’s kinda- some you think are going to be a good combination and you’re like this is just not going to happen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you’ve hit on it because that really does taste great. It’s kind of got notes of melted popsicle with that blue raspberry in there.

Codee Flores:
I like that. I like that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ok, after this is no longer drink of the month does it kind of become like secret menu?

Codee Flores:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So if I came in January, can I still order one of these?

Codee Flores:
Yes. This is the basic menu, right? Now that you’re a friend of the classroom, you know what’s back there. You can choose whatever you want.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk me through the history of the pop shop a little bit, and why it got started, and how long it’s been going. It’s a great operation and I can see how much the kids love being part of it.

Codee Flores:
So my first year here at South Valley I saw other classrooms were doing – you know some were doing buttons that they make, some people do popcorn and it was a great way to have the students learning a business, learning how businesses work. And I was just thinking what can we do that people are going to enjoy? What can we do that’s going to involve every student doing what they need to do?

This was three years ago. I let the students come up with some ideas. We had some ideas like making dog treats or making bracelets, things like that. But then we were thinking, you know what? What could really benefit everybody? What’s something everybody likes? Everyone likes a treat. Everybody likes to customize their own things. And it’s nice to have stuff where you can involve everybody. So everyone got involved and everyone gets involved when we’re making new drinks or doing new flavors. The shopping for everything, counting the money, turning in the money at the end of the week, all of it. So everyone in this classroom has a job to do and they do it well and they’re doing great.

Anthony Godfrey:
I can tell how much it means to them and how engaged they are. This is a deep level of learning. Lots of skills involved and lots of fun involved.

Codee Flores:
Yeah, it’s a great time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you to South Valley School for hosting us today and for creating such a wonderful, immersive experience for their students.

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.